Home › Glossary › Letter A

Antispast

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

A metrical foot comprising four syllables: short-long-long-short (u – – u), formed by joining an iamb and a trochee, used in classical prosody.

Detailed Definition
An antispast is a metrical foot consisting of two short syllables between two long ones (– ∪ ∪ –), rarely used in English but found in classical prosody; it creates a syncopated, irregular rhythm that disrupts expected metrical flow for expressive effect.
Example
Example in poetry:
Antispast (u – – u) in Greek lyric fragments; antispast rare in English but appears in Hopkins’s sprung variants; antispast creates syncopated rhythm in classical meters; antispast is a metrical foot with two shorts enclosing two longs
Additional Notes
Classical foot: unstressed-stressed-stressed-unstressed (da-DUM-DUM-da). Creates pivoting, balanced rhythm. Rare in English; more common in Greek/Latin. Often used as substitute foot for variation.
Also Known As
Iamb-trochee foot Four-syllable measure Double-short center foot Choriambic variant
Skip to main content