Here's why:
* Rhyming words share the same vowel sound. This is the core element that makes them sound alike. For example, "cat," "hat," and "mat" all have the same vowel sound /æ/.
* Consonant sounds can vary. While rhyming words often share some consonant sounds, they don't have to. For example, "cat," "hat," and "bat" all rhyme, but they have different consonant sounds at the beginning.
Let's look at some examples:
* "Cat," "hat," and "mat" all rhyme because they share the same vowel sound /æ/.
* "Sail," "fail," and "nail" rhyme because they share the same vowel sound /eɪ/.
* "Shoe," "blue," and "glue" rhyme because they share the same vowel sound /u/.
So, while consonant sounds can play a role in rhyming, the shared vowel sound is the key to creating rhyming words.