Home › Glossary › Letter B

Breath-pause

Sound
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 pause in verse determined by natural breathing rhythm rather than syntax or meter

Detailed Definition
Breath-pause refers to a brief, natural hesitation within a poetic line that corresponds to the speaker’s inhalation or exhalation, often marked by punctuation or enjambment but sometimes implied through syntax; it serves as a subtle rhythmic device that grounds the poem in bodily experience and enhances its performative authenticity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Breath-pause: In free verse, a natural pause mimicking human respiration—e.g., “I stop / and breathe / the silence” (line breaks indicate where a reader would naturally inhale or exhale).
Additional Notes
A breath-pause is a caesura or line break timed to mimic inhalation/exhalation; use to control pacing and emotional emphasis in spoken or performed poetry.
Also Known As
Respiratory pause Inhalation break Breath-taken rest Natural breathing stop
Skip to main content