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Iambic

Adjective
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

Describing a metrical foot composed of one short (unstressed) syllable followed by one long (stressed) syllable (u /).

Detailed Definition
Iambic describes a metrical pattern composed of iambs, which are two-syllable units with the first unstressed and the second stressed (da-DUM); it is the most common rhythm in English poetry, closely resembling natural speech, making it flexible for both drama and lyric. Shakespeare’s blank verse often employs iambic pentameter, with five iambs per line, creating a rhythm at once naturalistic and controlled, ideal for varied tones and themes.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” uses iambic pentameter; Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” employs iambic tetrameter and trimeter; Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods” uses iambic tetrameter; Contemporary poet Tracy K. Smith’s “The United States Welcomes You” subverts iambic expectation with interrogative stress; W.H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” uses iambic meter for elegiac control; Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool” plays with iambic rhythm through syncopation.
Additional Notes
Iambic meter alternates unstressed and stressed syllables (da-DUM), the most common rhythm in English verse, often mimicking natural speech.
Also Known As
Rising meter Unstressed-stressed Two-syllable foot Short-long pattern
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