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Acatalectic

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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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 metrical line that has the full number of syllables or feet without omission

Detailed Definition
Acatalectic describes a metrical line that is complete or “full,” ending with the expected number of syllables according to its meter—unlike catalectic lines, which are truncated; for example, an acatalectic iambic pentameter has ten syllables with a full final unstressed-stressed foot.
Example
Example in poetry:
An acatalectic line is metrically complete with no syllables omitted; for example, in iambic pentameter: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (Shakespeare, Sonnet 18)—each foot has two syllables, and the line ends fully.
Additional Notes
Line with complete metrical pattern—no syllables missing at end. Contrast with catalexis (truncated line). Most verse is acatalectic. Term mainly useful when discussing catalexis.
Also Known As
metrically complete full measure
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