Home › Glossary › Letter A

AABBA quintain

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A five-line stanza with the rhyme scheme AABBA, often used in limericks

Detailed Definition
AABBA quintain is a five-line stanza with a distinctive rhyme scheme where the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme (A), and the third and fourth lines share a different rhyme (B). This structure is most famously associated with the limerick, a humorous or whimsical form that typically employs anapestic meter—trimeter in the A-lines and dimeter in the B-lines—to create a bouncy, musical cadence. The AABBA pattern supports narrative compression: the opening lines set up a character and place, the middle lines develop action or absurdity, and the final line delivers a witty or surprising conclusion, making it ideal for satire, wordplay, and light verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
There once was a man from Peru, / Who dreamed he was eating his shoe. / He woke with a fright, / In the middle of night, / And found that his dream had come true; A flea and a fly in a flue / Were imprisoned, so what could they do? / Said the flea, “Let us flee!” / “Let us fly!” said the fly. / So they flew through a flaw in the flue; There was an old person of Dover, / Who rushed through a field of clover. / But some very large bees / Stung his nose and his knees, / And he never went there any more; There was a young lady of Ryde, / Who smiled as she sat on a tide. / But the tide came too fast, / And the smile didn’t last— / Now she floats with the foam on the wide
Additional Notes
The AABBA quintain is the defining structure of the limerick, a humorous or nonsensical five-line poem with anapestic meter (typically amphibrachic trimeter for lines 1, 2, and 5, and dimeter for 3 and 4). Its tight rhyme and rhythm create a bouncy, memorable cadence ideal for satire or wordplay. While often associated with light verse, contemporary poets sometimes subvert its comic expectations for serious or political effect. Note that the first line frequently introduces a person and place (“There once was a man from…”), establishing setting and character quickly.
Also Known As
limerick cousin enclosed quintet embracing quintain AABBA poem
Skip to main content