The Many Types of Poetry - Write On! Learning

The Many Types of Poetry

When people think of poetry, most people think of strict four-lined repeating stanzas. However, poetry is one of the most diverse genres out there, with many different styles from across the world. We’ve included a list of fifteen different types of poems below!

  1. Sonnet: Sonnets can be composed in many different styles, but the most popular are Shakespearean and Petrarchan. The Shakespearean sonnet has 14 lines: three quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end.
  2. Elegy: An elegy is a type of sad poem that is often mourning a person or an idea.
  3. Ode: Odes are lyrical and long, and they usually celebrate a person, place, or event.
  4. Haiku: A haiku is a Japanese short form poem that has three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the last again.
  5. Ghazal: Ghazals are a form of ancient Arabic poetry, made up of a minimum of five couplets and usually themed around love
  6. Free Verse: Free verse poetry is a specific kind of poetry which does not use a regular meter or rhyme scheme.
  7. Villanelle: A villanelle is a type of French poem which is made up of five tercets and an ending quatrain.
  8. Sestina: An unrhymed French verse poem with six different six-line stanzas, and a concluding stanza called an envoi at the end.
  9. Rondel: A rondel is a poetic form with three stanzas and two rhymes.
  10. Epitaphs: Short poems written to pay tribute to a person and commemorate their life. 
  11. Narrative: A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story which usually has a narrator, characters, and a plot.
  12. Epic: Epic poems are long narrative poems that follow a hero (the protagonist) as they embark on a journey and battle various forces to achieve their ultimate goal.
  13. Ballad: A ballad poem is an epic poem often set to music. Some characteristics of a ballad include an ABAC rhyme scheme, a refrain, and dialogue.
  14. Epigram: A short witty verse that often conveys an idea or subject in a funny way.
  15. Limerick: A five line poem with an AABA rhyme scene. They are usually meant to be funny.

We hope this list has inspired to have fun by writing some of your own poetry!

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