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Five-foot iambic

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

A regular line of five iambic feet, producing ten syllables in an unstressed–stressed pattern; it is the dominant English meter, used extensively for its natural, versatile rhythm in dramatic, narrative, and lyric verse.

Detailed Definition
Five-foot iambic denotes a line of verse containing exactly five iambic feet (ten syllables), synonymous with iambic pentameter—the dominant meter of English poetry; it provides a natural cadence approximating speech rhythm while allowing for expressive variation through substitutions, pauses, or enjambment, forming the backbone of sonnets, blank verse, and dramatic monologues.
Example
Example in poetry:
Five-foot iambic (iambic pentameter) is foundational in English poetry: Shakespeare’s sonnets: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”; Milton’s “Paradise Lost”: “Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit”; Contemporary example: “The subway doors close on another Tuesday” (urban blank verse); Robert Frost’s “Birches”: “When I see birches bend to left and right”; Free verse often subtly echoes pentameter; It mimics natural English speech rhythm.
Additional Notes
Five-foot iambic (iambic pentameter) is English poetry’s dominant meter. Compare with shortened or overlong pentameter. Practice scansion by marking stresses in Shakespeare or Frost—note how variations create expressive nuance within regularity.
Also Known As
Iambic pentameter Five-beat rising line Heroic line Classical iambic five-foot
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