Home › Glossary › Letter C

Compensatory 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

Replacement of one metrical pattern with another of equivalent duration

Detailed Definition
Compensatory substitution replaces a missing metrical stress or syllable with an alternative rhythmic device—such as a caesura, spondee, or extended vowel—to preserve the line’s overall energy; this technique maintains metrical integrity while accommodating natural speech rhythms or semantic emphasis.
Example
Example in poetry:
Compensatory substitution: Replacing one metrical foot with another to maintain rhythm—e.g., in iambic pentameter, substituting a spondee (“HEART-BEAT”) for an iamb to preserve stress count.
Additional Notes
Compensatory substitution replaces a missing metrical beat with extra syllables elsewhere to maintain overall rhythm—common in flexible meters like iambic pentameter.
Also Known As
Offsetting substitution balancing replacement compensating variation make-up substitution
Skip to main content