Words That Rhyme with That | Meaning, Examples, Poems & List

Rhyming is one of the most powerful tools in creative writing. It gives your words rhythm, makes your lines memorable, and adds emotional depth to even the simplest phrases. Whether you’re crafting song lyrics, writing poetry, or experimenting with creative language, understanding how to rhyme effectively can transform your work from ordinary to extraordinary.

Words that rhyme with “that” are among the most versatile rhymes in English. From simple one-syllable matches like “cat” and “hat” to sophisticated multisyllabic options like “acrobat” and “thermostat,” these rhymes help you build lines that resonate with your audience. The word “that” appears everywhere: in pop songs, rap verses, children’s poetry, and spoken word performances. This makes it an essential building block for any writer’s toolkit.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about rhyming with “that.” You’ll discover organized lists of perfect and near rhymes, learn practical techniques for choosing the best rhyme for your message, and explore real-world examples that bring these concepts to life.

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Understanding the Word “That”

Before learning into rhyming options, it’s important to understand why “that” works so effectively in creative writing. The word “that” is incredibly versatile in English.

It serves multiple functions:

• Demonstrative pronoun: Points to something specific (“Look at that sunset”)
• Conjunction: Connects ideas and clauses (“She mentioned that she would call”)
• Intensifier: Adds emphasis (“I can’t believe that happened”)

This flexibility makes “that” invaluable for songwriters and poets. It naturally fits at the end of lines without sounding forced or awkward. The -at sound is crisp and definitive, creating a sense of completion that works beautifully in everything from heartfelt ballads to energetic rap verses.

Consider this example:

“You said it just like that / No taking any of it back”

The rhyme feels natural and inevitable, as if the second line was always meant to follow the first. This is the power of effective rhyming: it creates anticipation and satisfaction simultaneously.

Words That Rhyme with “That”: Meaning and Context

The most effective rhymes do more than just match sounds; they reinforce your intended meaning and emotional tone. When selecting a rhyme for “that,” consider both the sonic quality and the semantic weight of each word.

Different rhyming words carry distinct emotional associations:

Cat creates playful or mysterious imagery
Combat introduces intensity and conflict
Flat suggests disappointment or emptiness
Chat feels conversational and friendly
Habitat evokes nature and environmental themes

For example:

• “She moved like a cat, silent as that” establishes mystery and grace
• “Ready for combat, trained for moments like that” builds tension and urgency
• “The room felt flat after you left like that” conveys loss and emptiness

Understanding these subtle distinctions helps you choose rhymes that enhance your message rather than simply filling space.

How Are Words That Rhyme with “That” Helpful?

Mastering rhymes with “that” offers significant benefits across multiple writing contexts:

For Songwriters

Rhymes create memorable patterns that listeners can anticipate and sing along with. Most successful pop, rap, country, and rock songs use end rhymes because they guide the listener’s ear and make melodies stick in memory. Strong rhymes in your chorus help audiences remember your hook, while creative rhymes in verses demonstrate your wordplay skills and keep the song engaging.

For Poets

Rhyming gives poetry structure, flow, and sonic echoes that tie stanzas together. Whether you’re writing formal verse with strict rhyme schemes or experimental free verse with occasional rhymes, the -at sound offers flexibility and impact. Rhymes can emphasize key themes, create closure, or surprise readers with unexpected connections.

For Rap and Hip-Hop Artists

Multisyllabic rhymes and compound rhymes are essential tools for demonstrating technical skill. Stacking rhymes with “that” allows you to build complex internal rhyme schemes that separate amateur verses from professional bars. The ability to rhyme creatively shows mastery of language and rhythm.

For Students and Educators

Rhyming builds phonemic awareness: the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words. This skill improves spelling, pronunciation, memory, and overall language comprehension. Teachers use rhyming exercises because they make learning engaging and effective, helping students internalize language patterns naturally.

For Writers in General

Even outside poetry and songwriting, understanding rhyme helps you craft memorable phrases, taglines, and prose with natural rhythm. Occasional rhyme in essays, stories, or speeches adds texture, emphasis, and memorability that captures attention and enhances impact.

Complete List of Words That Rhyme with “That”

Here’s your comprehensive toolkit, organized by syllable count and rhyme type so you can quickly find exactly what you need for any creative project.

One-Syllable Perfect Rhymes

cat, hat, bat, rat, mat, sat, fat, flat, pat, chat, brat, spat, gnat, slat, vat, scat, tat, splat

These short, punchy words form the foundation of rhyming with “that.” They’re direct, powerful, and easy to incorporate:

• cat: Playful, mysterious, nocturnal imagery (“She moved like a cat, silent as that”)
• flat: Emptiness, deflation, disappointment (“Hope fell flat when you said that”)
• chat: Conversational, friendly, casual tone (“We stayed up to chat about that”)
• bat: Action-oriented, sporty, or nocturnal context (“Hit it out the park with the bat, imagine that”)
• mat: Grounded, practical, everyday situations (“Keys on the mat, don’t forget that”)

Two-Syllable Rhymes

combat, format, habitat, acrobat, diplomat, aristocrat, doormat, wombat, muskrat, wildcat, polecat, tomcat, bobcat, hellcat

These longer rhymes add sophistication and rhythmic variety:

• combat: Conflict, struggle, intensity (“Ready for combat, never backing down from that”)
• acrobat: Grace, skill, balance, flexibility (“Flip through life like an acrobat, never falling flat”)
• habitat: Nature, environment, home, ecology (“Destroyed their habitat, can’t reverse that”)
• diplomat: Tact, politics, negotiation, strategy (“Spoke like a diplomat, smoothing over that”)
• doormat: Being taken advantage of, submission (“Won’t be treated like a doormat after that”)

Three-Syllable and Multisyllabic Rhymes

thermostat, laundromat, bureaucrat, autocrat, plutocrat, democrat, aristocrat

These sophisticated rhymes excel in hip-hop, spoken word, and playful poetry:

• thermostat: Temperature, comfort, control (“Adjust the thermostat, too cold for that”)
• laundromat: Everyday life, chance encounters, mundane settings (“Met her at the laundromat, fell in love like that”)
• bureaucrat: Red tape, systems, institutions, frustration (“Dealing with another bureaucrat, tired of that”)

Compound Rhymes

welcome mat, alley cat, baseball bat, top hat, hard hat, fall flat, old hat, fat cat, smell a rat, tip your hat, cowboy hat, where it’s at

These creative combinations use multiple words to create the rhyming sound, perfect for clever wordplay:

“Left the keys on the welcome mat / Knew you’d need them after that”
“Chasing dreams like an alley cat / Scrappy and hungry, living like that”

Near Rhymes (Slant Rhymes)

what, lot, spot, got, not, thought, hot, pot, shot, caught, taught, fought, bought, ought, knot, plot, trot, slot

Near rhymes don’t match perfectly, but they create interesting sonic relationships that sound natural and conversational:

“Did you forget what / You promised me that”
“Standing in the same spot / Remembering that”

Vowel-Shifted Near Rhymes

match, catch, patch, scratch, batch, latch, hatch, snatch, dispatch, attach, detach

These words share the ending consonant but use a different vowel sound, ideal for fast-paced delivery:

“Strike a match / Remember that”
“Had to catch / Myself after that”

Find the complete list of words that rhyme with that in below table.

One Syllable Word	Two Syllables Word	Three Syllables Word	Four+ Syllables Word	Phrases (for rhythm)
bat	combat	aristocrat	multilateral combat	tit for tat
cat	format	bureaucrat	aristocratic diplomat	this and that
chat	bobcat	democrat	bureaucratic format	at that
fat	top hat	diplomatical	democratic habitat	fancy that
flat	doormat	acrobatical	international acrobat	mind like a cat
gnat	muskrat	scallywag rat	environmental bureaucrat	smooth as a mat
hat	hardhat	autocrat	charismatic democrat	fit as a bat
mat	wildcat	chitchat	biomathematical stat	quick as a rat
pat	thermostat	thermostatic	thermostatically flat	as flat as that
rat	copycat	habitat zone	unproblematic habitat	chat with a cat
sat	tit-for-tat	statistic rat		wearing a hat
slat	diplomat	technocrat		not like that
spat	acrobat	subcontract		caught in combat
splat	habitat	insomniac rat		look at that
tat	expat	acrobat act		end of that
vat	mudflat			more than that
that	placemat

Rhyming Sentences About “That”

Here are practical examples demonstrating how these rhymes work in various contexts:

You said it just like that, no taking any of it back.
She moved through the room like a cat, graceful as that.
Hope fell flat when you admitted that.
We stayed up to chat, laughing about that.
Met her at the laundromat, talking dreams and this and that.
Ready for combat, trained for moments like that.
Left your keys on the welcome mat. Don’t forget that.
The room felt empty and flat after you left like that.
She flipped through life like an acrobat, never missing a beat like that.
Can you believe what happened after that?
Standing in the same old spot, still thinking about that.
Had to catch my breath after hearing that.
Business suits and the fat cat, making deals and living like that.
Adjust the thermostat. It’s getting cold in here, imagine that.
Chasing dreams like an alley cat, scrappy and hungry like that.

Synonyms of “That”

While “that” is difficult to replace entirely, understanding synonyms and alternative phrasings can help you avoid repetition and maintain variety in your writing:

which, this, it, the one, such, aforementioned, said

Examples of substitution:

• Instead of “I can’t believe that happened” → “I can’t believe it happened”
• Instead of “She said that she would call” → “She said she would call” (omit entirely)
• Instead of “the house that we visited” → “the house which we visited”

Understanding these alternatives allows you to vary your sentence structure while maintaining similar meaning.

Also Read:

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Words That Rhyme with Time
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Conclusion

Mastering words that rhyme with “that” gives you access to one of English’s most versatile and useful rhyming sounds. Whether you’re crafting heartfelt love songs, narrative poetry, energetic rap verses, or experimental spoken word, these rhymes help you create rhythm, emphasis, and emotional resonance that connects with audiences.

The key to effective rhyming lies in matching sound with meaning. Don’t simply select a rhyme because it fits technically. Choose it because it communicates exactly what you want to say in precisely the right way. Practice regularly, read your work aloud to test how it sounds, and trust your instincts about what feels natural versus forced.

With the comprehensive lists, practical examples, and strategic tips in this guide, you now have the tools to elevate your creative writing. Start by selecting your favorite rhyme, open your notebook, and explore where the rhythm takes you. Every memorable song or poem began with a single word. Perhaps yours begins with “that.”

Looking to develop your creative writing skills further? Explore additional guides on rhyming techniques, songwriting strategies, and poetic devices to continue building your craft and expressing your unique voice through language.

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