Cretic inverse

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

An inverted form of the cretic foot, with short-long-short sequence.

Detailed Definition
Cretic inverse refers to a metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (´ ˘ ˘), the reverse of the traditional cretic (˘ ´ ˘); though rare in English, it appears in experimental or accentual verse to create loping, irregular rhythms that disrupt conventional prosody.
Example
Example in poetry:
Cretic inverse: a metrical foot with unstressed–stressed–unstressed (reversed cretic); Using – ˊ – instead of ˊ – ˊ; A verse beginning with softness surrounding stress; Inverse cretic rhythm that changes poetic emphasis
Additional Notes
Cretic inverse refers to a metrical foot of two short syllables followed by one long syllable (u u -). Rare in English due to stress-timed nature. More common in quantitative languages like Latin. Use cautiously for exotic or classical effect. Contrast with standard cretic (- u -). Study classical metrics for accurate application. Best suited for experimental or scholarly poetic forms.
Also Known As
Inverse cretic Reversed cretic Inverted foot Amphibrach
Skip to main content