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Apocope

Device
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

The omission of the final sound or syllable of a word for metrical or rhythmic effect

Detailed Definition
Apocope is the truncation of one or more final syllables or sounds from a word (e.g., “oft” for “often”), used in poetry to conform to metrical constraints, create rhythmic variation, or evoke archaic or dialectal speech patterns.
Example
Example in poetry:
Apocope in “oft” for “often” (Milton); apocope in “ne’er” for “never” (Byron); apocope in “e’er” for “ever” (Shelley); apocope truncates final syllable for metrical convenience
Additional Notes
Apocope is the omission of a final syllable or sound (e.g., “e’er” for “ever”); it’s used to fit metrical patterns or create archaic tone, especially in 18th- and 19th-century verse.
Also Known As
Final omission End-cutting Terminal dropping Letter truncation sound omission
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