Home › Glossary › Letter D

Dibrachic hexameter

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

A six-foot line of dibrachs (two shorts), creating rapid, breathless pace

Detailed Definition
Dibrachic hexameter is a six-foot line composed of dibrachs—metrical units of two short (unstressed) syllables—creating a rapid, light, and often playful rhythm; though rare in English, it appears in experimental or comic verse where fluidity and speed are desired over gravitas or solemnity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Dibrachic hexameter: Six dibrach feet (two short syllables: ᴗ ᴗ), as in experimental verse: "a-bout the house the wind did flit / a-cross the fields with nimble wit" (six × ᴗ ᴗ).
Additional Notes
Six-foot line with multiple dibrachs (pyrrhic feet) creating rapid, light movement. Rare in English due to stress requirements. Experimental variation of traditional hexameter. Compare with standard dactylic hexameter.
Also Known As
Six-foot pyrrhic Six-measure unstressed Hexametric double-short
Skip to main content