Home › Glossary › Letter C

Choriambic substitution

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

The replacement of an expected foot with a choriamb (long-short-short-long) for metrical variation within quantitative or accentual-syllabic lines.

Detailed Definition
Choriambic substitution occurs when a choriamb (a metrical foot: ¯ ˘ ˘ ¯) replaces another foot within a line, introducing a wave-like rhythm of stress and release; common in classical Aeolic verse (e.g., Sappho), this substitution creates lyrical fluidity and emotional nuance, and its echoes appear in English poetry through rhythmic variation that mimics the choriamb’s rise and fall.
Example
Example in poetry:
Choriambic substitution replaces an expected foot with a choriamb, as in a hexameter line where a spondee becomes – ᴗ ᴗ – for dramatic effect.
Additional Notes
Replacing expected foot with choriamb in primarily iambic or trochaic line, creating rhythmic variation. Adds complexity and interest. Related to other metrical substitutions but specifically involves four-syllable choriambic foot.
Also Known As
Choriambic replacement choriamb variation long-short-short-long substitution four-syllable foot change Choriamb substitution
Skip to main content