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Acatalectic tetrameter

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 four-foot line with all metrical feet complete, lacking catalexis

Detailed Definition
Acatalectic tetrameter describes a metrical line of verse consisting of four complete metrical feet without any truncation or omission of the final syllable that would otherwise render it catalectic; in other words, each foot is fully realized according to the established meter (e.g., iambic, trochaic), resulting in a rhythmically balanced and sonically complete line—such as in traditional ballad stanzas or hymns—where the integrity of the metrical pattern is preserved to the very end, contributing to a sense of closure, stability, or formal elegance within the poetic structure.
Example
Example in poetry:
Acatalectic tetrameter is a four-beat line with a complete final foot, as in Blake’s “The Tyger”: “Tyger Tyger, burning bright,” where each of the four iambs is fully realized without truncation.
Additional Notes
Acatalectic tetrameter: A metrical line of four feet with no missing syllables at the end (i.e., complete); contrast with catalectic lines which omit the final unstressed syllable; common in iambic or trochaic tetrameter.
Also Known As
Complete tetrameter Full four-foot line Untruncated tetrameter
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