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Cinquain

Form
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

A five-line poem with a strict 2-4-6-8-2 syllable count, often unrhymed, designed to mimic natural forms like a snowflake.

Detailed Definition
A Cinquain is a five-line poetic form that can follow several structural models: the traditional American cinquain (popularized by Adelaide Crapsey) uses a syllabic count of 2-4-6-8-2 and often iambic rhythm, while other variants may employ word counts or stress patterns; typically unrhymed and imagistic, the cinquain captures a single moment or impression with haiku-like economy but greater rhythmic flexibility, making it a popular pedagogical tool for teaching concision and emotional resonance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Cinquain (general) is any five-line poem; Adelaide Crapsey’s syllabic cinquain (2-4-6-8-2) is most famous; Japanese tanka (5-7-5-7-7) is a cinquain variant; classroom exercises use cinquain for thematic focus; the form appears in minimalist and nature poetry; cinquain’s brevity suits epiphanic moments
Additional Notes
Five-line stanza form with various metrical patterns. Generic term; specify type (Adelaide Crapsey, didactic, etc.) for clarity. See: Crapsey cinquain for the most common modern form.
Also Known As
Crapsey cinquain American cinquain Quintain
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