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Iambic foot

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 metrical unit consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

Detailed Definition
An iambic foot is a metrical unit in poetry consisting of two syllables with the stress on the second: unstressed-stressed (da-DUM); it is the most common foot in English verse, forming the basis of iambic pentameter—the dominant meter in Shakespearean drama and much lyric poetry—because its rhythm approximates natural speech patterns and lends itself to expressive flexibility.
Example
Example in poetry:
“To be or not to be” (Shakespeare) follows unstressed-stressed pattern: “to BE / or NOT / to BE”; “The CURfew TOLLS the KNELL of PARTing DAY” (Gray) uses regular iambs; “And I will LAY me DOWN in PEACE” (Psalm 4) demonstrates biblical iambic rhythm; “She WALKS in BEAUty, LIKE the NIGHT” (Byron) opens with clear iambic feet.
Additional Notes
Iambic foot is the most common English metrical unit: unstressed + stressed syllable (e.g., “before”); forms the basis of iambic pentameter, blank verse, and much lyric poetry.
Also Known As
Iamb rising foot short-long foot unstressed-stressed unit Heroic meter unit Iambus Short-long pattern Unstressed-stressed Unstressed-stressed pair
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