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extrametrical syllables

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

Additional unstressed syllables that exceed the normal metrical pattern.

Detailed Definition
Extrametrical syllables are syllables that fall outside the established metrical pattern of a line—typically unstressed and added at the beginning (anacrusis) or end (hypermetrical syllable)—and do not count toward the official foot count; these syllables enhance musicality, accommodate linguistic nuance, or soften rhythmic rigidity, commonly appearing in iambic or trochaic verse to mirror conversational cadence while maintaining formal structure.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter often adds extrametrical syllables for emphasis: “To be, or not to be: that is the question”; John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” uses feminine endings with extrametrical syllables; Emily Dickinson’s hymn meter includes extrametrical syllables for surprise; W.B. Yeats’s “The Second Coming” ends lines with extrametrical weight; Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” uses extrametrical syllables for emotional rupture; Gwendolyn Brooks’s “We Real Cool” ends with extrametrical “Die soon.”
Additional Notes
Extrametrical syllables are syllables in a line of poetry that are outside the expected metrical pattern, meaning they don't fit into the established feet of the line; they are common at the beginning (anacrusis) or end of a line (feminine ending) and add flexibility and a natural speech rhythm to the verse, preventing a sing-song effect.
Also Known As
Extra syllables Supernumerary syllables Hypermetrical units Anacrusis
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