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Civil Twilight

Time And Calendar
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 period before sunrise or after sunset when there is enough natural light for ordinary outdoor activity. It is a threshold between day and night.

Detailed Definition
Civil twilight is the dim interval when the sun lies just below the horizon but its light still illuminates the landscape. Because forms remain visible while details fade, poets often use it for scenes of uncertainty, departure, secrecy, or reflection. It differs from full daylight and darkness alike, making it especially useful for poems attentive to transition, altered perception, and the emotional ambiguity of endings and beginnings.
Example
Example in poetry:
Civil twilight is the period after sunset or before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon but enough natural light remains for ordinary outdoor activity; A poet might set a farewell during civil twilight, when faces are visible but details are beginning to blur; “In civil twilight, the street signs floated above the rain” uses the term precisely while creating atmosphere; A landscape lyric can contrast civil twilight’s usable blue light with the deeper darkness that follows
Additional Notes
Civil twilight is the interval after sunset or before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon but enough natural light remains for ordinary outdoor activity. As a liminal setting, it preserves visible detail while introducing uncertainty, lengthening shadows, and a sense of approach or aftermath. Contrast dusk, which is broader and more atmospheric. In revision, use its residual light to complicate rather than simply darken a scene.
Also Known As
Civil Dusk
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