Home › Glossary › Letter D

Drop Cap

Printing
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 large initial letter that extends down into several lines of text. It decorates and marks the beginning of a section.

Detailed Definition
A drop cap is an enlarged opening letter that descends through two or more lines of text at the start of a poem, section, or prose introduction. Rooted in manuscript and early printed-book traditions, it can lend ceremonial emphasis to an opening. Poetry printers may use a drop cap sparingly because it changes the indentation and visual rhythm of the first stanza. When well integrated, it makes the beginning of a poem feel typographically distinct without obscuring the text.
Example
Example in poetry:
A drop cap enlarges the first letter of a poem's opening line, making the beginning visually prominent; A book designer might use a large “W” to begin Wordsworth's “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”; A drop cap can distinguish the opening poem of each new section in a collection; In a prose poem, a drop cap may give the paragraph-like text the ceremonial appearance of an old printed book
Additional Notes
A drop cap is a display initial, usually used at the opening of a poem, chapter, or major section. Its size and style should remain readable and fit the publication's visual design.
Also Known As
Dropped Initial Initial Cap
Skip to main content