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Common metre

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

A quatrain with alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and trimeter, rhyming ABAB

Detailed Definition
Common metre (CM) is a quatrain form consisting of alternating lines of iambic tetrameter (eight syllables) and iambic trimeter (six syllables), typically rhyming ABAB. It is one of the most prevalent metrical patterns in English hymnody, used in classics like “Amazing Grace” and “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.” CM’s regular, song-like rhythm makes it ideal for congregational singing and meditative verse, balancing narrative flexibility with harmonic closure. Though similar to ballad metre (which uses ABCB rhyme), Common metre’s consistent ABAB scheme supports doctrinal clarity and emotional progression, serving as a foundational form in both sacred and secular lyric traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, / That saved a wretch like me! / I once was lost, but now am found, / Was blind, but now I see; The King of love my shepherd is, / Whose goodness faileth never; / I nothing lack if I am His, / And He is mine forever; O God, our help in ages past, / Our hope for years to come, / Our shelter from the stormy blast, / And our eternal home; Jesus shall reign where’er the sun / Does his successive journeys run; / His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, / Till moons shall wax and wane no more
Additional Notes
Common metre (CM) is a quatrain with alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter lines, rhyming ABAB. It’s the standard for many English hymns (e.g., “Amazing Grace”) and shares DNA with ballad metre (which uses ABCB). CM’s regularity makes it ideal for congregational singing and meditative verse. Students should scan hymns to internalize its rhythm and note how the rhyme scheme supports doctrinal clarity or emotional progression.
Also Known As
common measure ballad meter variant hymn stanza 8-6-8-6 meter
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