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Alarm Clock

Household Objects
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 clock designed to sound at a chosen hour. It often suggests waking, urgency, routine, or interruption.

Detailed Definition
An alarm clock is a household timepiece fitted with a bell, buzzer, or electronic signal that breaks sleep at an appointed moment. In poetry, its abrupt noise can mark the return of duty after dreams, the pressure of labor, or the small tyranny of schedules. A silent alarm clock on a bedside table may also evoke anticipation, insomnia, aging, or the uneasy wait for news before dawn.
Example
Example in poetry:
The alarm clock splits the dawn with its metallic cry, forcing the speaker from dreams into duty; Use an alarm clock as a symbol of industrial time, where each ring measures a life scheduled by work; The poem lets the alarm clock remain silent after a death, making the untouched bedside object signify absence; An alarm clock ticking beneath a pillow can create suspense as a speaker waits for an important morning
Additional Notes
Use an alarm clock to mark abrupt transitions in a poem: sleep to duty, dream to reality, or private time to public obligation. Its repeated ringing can create rhythm and tension.
Also Known As
Alarm Clock Radio
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