Home › Glossary › Letter A

Acatalectic trochee

Meter
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

Complete trochaic line without truncation, for steady falling rhythm.

Detailed Definition
Acatalectic trochee fills all feet fully, used in nursery rhymes for smoothness. It rocks evenly; in folk verse, it comforts, providing rhythmic stability for oral traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
The trochaic line "Tyger Tyger, burning bright" from Blake’s “The Tyger” is acatalectic, ending with a full trochee; "Double, double toil and trouble" from Macbeth retains the final stressed-unstressed pattern; "Tell me not in mournful numbers" from Longfellow’s “Evangeline” concludes with a complete trochee; "Heart, thou hast been a faithful friend" from a traditional ballad maintains the final trochaic foot; "Come, my Celia, let us prove" from Herrick’s “To Celia” ends without truncation; "When the stars threw down their spears" from Blake’s “The Tyger” completes the trochaic rhythm.
Additional Notes
Acatalectic trochee denotes a fully realized trochaic line (stressed-unstressed) without omission of the final unstressed syllable, producing a strong, steady falling rhythm; its regularity enhances musicality and is prominent in incantatory or marching verses—compare to catalectic trochee, which ends abruptly on a stress for dramatic effect.
Also Known As
Acatalectic trochaic line full trochee
Skip to main content