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Acrostic son

Form
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 poem where the first letters of each line spell a word or phrase vertically

Detailed Definition
Acrostic son is a playful or affectionate term for a poem—often a sonnet—whose lines begin with letters spelling a name (e.g., “MOTHER”), blending formal structure with personal address; it merges acrostic tradition with sonnet conventions to create layered meaning through both form and vertical message.
Example
Example in poetry:
An acrostic son where the first letter of each line spells "POETRY": "Pondering words that shape the human soul, / Over hills of thought where muses freely roam, / Echoes of truth in verses make us whole, / Timeless rhythms find in silence their home, / Radiant lines that shimmer, bright and bold, / Yearning hearts through stanzas are consoled, / Yet each poem begins with dreams untold."
Additional Notes
Truncated term—likely "acrostic sonnet." 14-line acrostic poem. First letters of 14 lines spell message. Combines two demanding forms. Requires careful craft.
Also Known As
acrostic poem alphabetical acrostic
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