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Accent mark

Sound
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 diacritical symbol indicating stress or pronunciation in poetic notation

Detailed Definition
An accent mark in poetry is a diacritical symbol used to indicate stress, pitch, or pronunciation on a specific syllable, often guiding metrical reading or clarifying linguistic emphasis; in prosody, it may denote ictus (metrical stress) rather than linguistic accent, helping readers interpret rhythm in verse such as in classical or accentual-syllabic meters.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Spanish poetry, "café" uses an accent mark to indicate stress on the final syllable; In French verse, "résumé" employs accent marks to distinguish pronunciation and meaning; In Portuguese lyric poetry, "põe" (he/she puts) uses a circumflex accent to mark vowel quality and stress; In Italian sonnets, "perché" (why/because) uses an acute accent to signal both stress and interrogative or causal function
Additional Notes
Accent marks in poetry indicate which syllables should be stressed or emphasized, crucial for maintaining metrical patterns; they’re especially important in languages like French or Spanish but also appear in English prosody to clarify pronunciation or rhythm.
Also Known As
Diacritical mark Stress indicator Prosodic accent Stress point
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