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Arrhythmic verse

Meter
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

Poetry deliberately avoiding regular rhythmic patterns or predictable stress

Detailed Definition
Arrhythmic verse deliberately eschews regular meter or predictable stress patterns, favoring organic, speech-based cadences that resist quantification; not synonymous with chaos, it employs subtle rhythmic logic derived from breath, syntax, or thought, as in the work of Robert Creeley or late Wallace Stevens.
Example
Example in poetry:
Arrhythmic verse: Charles Olson’s “The Kingfishers” employs arrhythmic verse—eschewing regular meter in favor of open-field composition where line breaks follow breath and thought rather than metrical beats.
Additional Notes
Arrhythmic verse: Poetry that deliberately avoids regular meter or pulse; not synonymous with free verse (which may have organic rhythm); often used for disorientation or realism.
Also Known As
Without rhythm Unmetered verse Rhythmless poetry Irregular pulse verse
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