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Iambic quatrain

Form
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 four-line stanza composed in iambic meter, often with alternating rhyme

Detailed Definition
An iambic quatrain is a four-line stanza written in iambic meter (typically tetrameter or pentameter) with a regular rhyme scheme (often ABAB or AABB); it provides rhythmic stability and lyrical balance, serving as a foundational unit in ballads, hymns, and narrative poetry from the Renaissance onward.
Example
Example in poetry:
Iambic quatrain: A four-line stanza in iambic meter, often rhymed ABAB: “The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, / The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea…” — from Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.”
Additional Notes
Four-line stanza in iambic meter. Common form—ballad meter often iambic. Related: quatrain, iambic meter. Study: variety of iambic quatrains across traditions.
Also Known As
iambic foursome common quatrain
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