Home › Glossary › Letter I

Iambic heptameter

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 seven-foot iambic line, sometimes called “fourteener” in English verse

Detailed Definition
Iambic heptameter, also known as a fourteener, is a line of seven iambic feet (fourteen syllables) that creates a rolling, expansive rhythm; popular in 16th-century English narrative poetry and ballads, it allows for complex syntax and dramatic pacing, as seen in early translations of Ovid or Chapman’s Homer.
Example
Example in poetry:
Iambic heptameter: Seven iambs per line (fourteen syllables): “And still the waves roll softly on the ever-changing shore” — used in narrative or lyrical expansiveness.
Additional Notes
Seven iambic feet per line. 14 syllables—very long, rare in English. Related: heptameter, iambic meter. Study: why heptameter avoided—length and balance issues.
Also Known As
Iambic seven-foot Rising heptameter Fourteen-syllable iambic Fourteener fourteener (if iambic)
Skip to main content