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Hexasyllable

Technique
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 metrical line containing exactly six syllables, often used for rhythmic variation, lyrical brevity, or in children’s or minimalist verse.

Detailed Definition
Hexasyllabic lines consist of exactly six syllables and appear across various traditions, from French vers mesurés to modern experimental poetry. Though less common than pentameter or tetrameter in English, hexasyllables offer rhythmic concision and are often used for lyrical brevity or to evoke folk or nursery-rhyme cadences.
Example
Example in poetry:
A hexasyllabic line from A.E. Housman: “When I was one-and-twenty”; A line from Emily Dickinson (adapted to six syllables): “Hope is the thing with wings”; Original example: “Moonlight on still water”; Another: “She walks in autumn rain”; A hexasyllable in French poetry: “Le vent dans les branches” (The wind in the branches); Modern example: “Time slips through my hands.”
Additional Notes
Hexasyllable denotes a line of exactly six syllables, common in French, Spanish, and some English lyric poetry; while less frequent than pentameter or tetrameter in English, it offers concision and musicality—ideal for epigrams, haiku-like forms, or refrains; poets like Emily Dickinson and A.E. Housman used hexasyllabic lines for emotional directness; when composing, ensure syllable count is precise (not just six stresses); it pairs well with enjambment to avoid choppiness and can be combined with other line lengths in strophic forms.
Also Known As
Six-Syllable Line
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