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Dimeter

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 metrical line composed of two feet, often used for rhythmic brevity or emphasis in lyrical or light verse.

Detailed Definition
Dimeter is a metrical line consisting of two feet, creating a concise, often rapid or emphatic rhythm; commonly used in hymns, nursery rhymes, or dramatic interjections, its brevity lends itself to intensity, urgency, or lyrical minimalism.
Example
Example in poetry:
Dimeter: "Hickory, dickory, dock" (nursery rhyme); "Break, break, break / On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!" (Tennyson); "Two beats per line: 'Heart. Stops.'"; "Swift, sharp rhythm: 'Go now. Leave.'"; "Minimalist intensity: 'Love lost. Gone.'"
Additional Notes
Two-foot line, shortest standard line length. Creates concise, clipped effect. Often paired with longer lines for contrast. Common in children's verse and experimental forms. Compare with monometer.
Also Known As
Two-foot line duple meter two-beat line Binary measure
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