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Five-foot pyrrhic

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 pentameter line composed entirely of pyrrhic feet (five consecutive unstressed syllable pairs)

Detailed Definition
Five-foot pyrrhic refers to a metrical line containing five pyrrhic feet, each consisting of two unstressed syllables. This rare and challenging pattern creates a continuous flow of unstressed syllables across ten positions, producing an unusual floating or rushing effect.
Example
Example in poetry:
Six feet of pyrrhic meter (twelve unstressed syllables); Hexameter line with all unstressed syllables; Theoretically possible but practically rare metrical form; Six consecutive pyrrhic feet creating monotonous rhythm
Additional Notes
A five-foot pyrrhic line would be a pentameter made entirely of pyrrhic feet, each consisting of two unstressed syllables, for a total of ten unstressed syllables. Such a line is difficult to realize naturally in English because English rhythm normally supplies stresses; an all-pyrrhic six-foot line would instead contain twelve unstressed syllables. In practice, pyrrhics usually occur as substitutions within iambic meter. Scan aloud and listen for relative, not absolute, stress.
Also Known As
Pyrrhic hexameter Double-unstressed six-foot line Unstressed hexametric verse Dibrachic pentameter
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