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Dibrach

Foot
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 metrical foot of two short or unstressed syllables; synonymous with a pyrrhic foot

Detailed Definition
Dibrach is a metrical foot consisting of two unstressed syllables, rarely used as a primary meter in English poetry but occasionally appearing as a variant within longer lines to create rhythmic variation or mimic natural speech; though more common in classical Greek and Latin verse, its presence in English often signals a deliberate prosodic softening or hesitation within an otherwise regular pattern.
Example
Example in poetry:
Dibrach: "Go now—two unstressed syllables in swift command"; "In Frost’s 'Stopping by Woods,' 'to see' forms a dibrach amid iambic flow"; "Contemporary free verse uses dibrachs like 'so soft' to disrupt meter subtly"; "Shakespeare occasionally slips dibrachs into blank verse: 'in time' in Hamlet’s soliloquy"; "The phrase 'a while' often functions as a dibrach in lyrical poetry"; "In nursery rhymes, 'on top' can act as a dibrach for rhythmic variation"
Additional Notes
Metrical foot of two short/unstressed syllables (˘˘). Also called pyrrhic foot. Relatively rare in English due to stress-timed nature. Creates swift, light movement. Often appears in resolution patterns.
Also Known As
Double short Pyrrhic foot Unstressed pair
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