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Poetic form

What is a Limerick?

Definition

A five-line comic verse with an AABBA rhyme and a galloping rhythm.

The limerick is poetry's whoopee cushion: five lines, an AABBA rhyme scheme, a bouncing anapestic gallop, and a last line that lands the joke. Edward Lear popularized the form in the 1840s; pub culture perfected it.

Lines 1, 2 and 5 carry three beats; lines 3 and 4 drop to two. The form is so strongly rhythmic that readers hear any false step instantly — which is half the fun of writing one well.

Structure of a limerick

  • Five lines rhyming AABBA
  • Lines 1, 2, 5: three beats (8-9 syllables); lines 3, 4: two beats (5-6 syllables)
  • Anapestic rhythm: da-da-DUM da-da-DUM
  • The last line delivers the twist or punchline

How to write a limerick

  1. Start with a name or place that's fun to rhyme ('A fellow from...').
  2. Brainstorm your A-rhymes before writing — you need three that work.
  3. Use lines 3-4 to escalate the situation quickly.
  4. Spend most of your effort on line 5; a limerick is a delivery system for its ending.

4 limerick examples

Classic and original limerick poems, free to read in full.

A Poet Named Pratt

The QuillOak Editors

There once was a poet named Prattwhose meter fell painfully flat;when told, "That won't scan,"

5 lines · limerick

The Sneezing Dragon

The QuillOak Editors

A dragon who started to sneezeset fire to forty-two trees,two barns, and a cart —

5 lines · limerick

The Caffeine Resolution

The QuillOak Editors

I solemnly swore off caffeineon Monday at seven-fifteen;by twenty past seven

5 lines · limerick

A Dog with a Plan

The QuillOak Editors

Our spaniel has buried, to date,two slippers, the remote, and a plate.When we ask him, "What for?"

5 lines · limerick

Common questions

Why are limericks always funny?

The galloping rhythm and snap-shut rhyme scheme create a setup-punchline shape. A solemn limerick fights its own music — almost impossible.