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Inflation

Economics
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 sustained rise in prices that reduces the purchasing power of money.

Detailed Definition
Inflation describes a general increase in prices, meaning that the same amount of money buys less over time. Poets can use it to render instability at the kitchen table, where wages remain still while bread, rent, and medicine climb. Figuratively, inflation may describe overstated language, swelling promises, or grief that enlarges every ordinary expense until the world feels priced beyond reach.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem can show inflation through a child noticing that the same coins no longer buy a full bag of groceries; A repeated line such as “the price rises before the bread does” can make inflation audible; Philip Larkin’s poems about money and ordinary life offer useful models for observing economic limits in personal settings; A satirical poem may describe a ballooning price tag to make inflation a visual image
Additional Notes
Inflation raises average prices over time, so the same money buys less. Poetic references may emphasize shrinking security, rising anxiety, or the changing value of necessities.
Also Known As
Price Inflation Rising Prices
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