Home › Glossary › Letter E

Eleven-syllable stichic

Form
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

Poetry written in continuous eleven-syllable lines without stanza breaks

Detailed Definition
Eleven-syllable stichic refers to a poem composed in continuous eleven-syllable lines without stanzaic breaks, maintaining a steady metrical flow throughout; this form, rooted in classical and Romance traditions, emphasizes linear progression and rhythmic consistency, often used for meditative, narrative, or elevated lyrical expression.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem like “Ode to a Nightingale” adapted entirely into 11-syllable unrhymed lines; A continuous sequence: “The sea rolls in with slow and steady breath, / It licks the shore and sighs before it leaves, / The gulls cry out above the cliffs of death…” (all 11 syllables); Modern free verse consciously using 11-syllable lines throughout without stanza breaks; A translation of a Greek stichic poem rendered in consistent English hendecasyllables
Additional Notes
Eleven-syllable stichic poetry consists of continuous eleven-syllable lines without stanza breaks; this form supports narrative momentum and is found in classical elegiac poetry and modern adaptations seeking fluidity.
Also Known As
Hendecasyllabic stichic verse continuous eleven-syllable lines undecasyllabic strophic flow unbroken hendecasyllables Hendecasyllabic stichic
Skip to main content