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Elision

Sound
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

The omission of a vowel, consonant, or syllable in pronunciation to maintain meter or ease articulation in verse.

Detailed Definition
Elision is the omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable at the end of a word to maintain metrical flow, especially when the next word begins with a vowel; common in Latin and French verse, it also appears in English poetry to smooth rhythm or enhance musicality.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s sonnets: “day” / “May”; Emily Dickinson: “me” / “Immortality”; Hip-hop lyrics use end rhyme densely: “I never said I was perfect / But I’m worth it”; End rhyme structures nursery rhymes: “Jack and Jill went up the hill.”
Additional Notes
Omitting syllables or sounds (e.g., "o'er" for "over") to maintain meter. Common in formal verse for fitting lines to pattern. Marked by apostrophe. Related to synaloepha. Study how elision affects pronunciation and scanning.
Also Known As
Contraction syllable omission vowel dropping syncope phonetic reduction sound omission Synalepha Rhythmic elision
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