Home › Glossary › Letter D

Dovetail

Craft Terms
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

To fit two poetic elements together so that each completes or strengthens the other. Dovetailing can join images, sounds, arguments, or sections without an obvious seam.

Detailed Definition
When lines or passages dovetail, their parts interlock through shared syntax, recurring sound, linked imagery, or a turn in thought. The connection may be subtle: the final noun in one stanza can become the governing pressure of the next, or a repeated vowel can carry an emotion across a break. Dovetailing gives a poem continuity without requiring explanation, allowing transitions to feel earned while preserving the distinct shape of each component.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poet dovetails two images by allowing one to complete or echo the other, as falling rain leads into the sound of a remembered piano; Dovetailing stanzas can connect a childhood scene to an adult consequence through a shared object such as a red scarf; A poem may dovetail its opening and closing lines so the final image answers the first with a changed meaning; Dovetailed metaphors should share a point of contact, such as both images suggesting enclosure.
Additional Notes
Dovetailing creates a smooth fit between elements that might otherwise seem separate. An image can prepare an argument, a repeated sound can link sections, or a later detail can complete an earlier suggestion. Look for connections that feel discovered rather than forced. Dovetailing relates to cohesion, motif, transition, and structural echo.
Also Known As
Interlock Fit Together
Skip to main content