Home › Glossary › Letter I

ionic foot

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 metrical foot consisting of two long syllables followed by two short syllables (or the reverse in some traditions)

Detailed Definition
Ionic foot is a classical metrical unit consisting of four syllables in the pattern long-long-short-short (– – ⏑ ⏑) or its reverse (⏑ ⏑ – –), known as the ionic a minore or a maiore; though rare in English, poets may adapt its rolling rhythm for lyrical or incantatory effect, especially in experimental or translation-based work.
Example
Example in poetry:
Greek iambic meter uses ionic foot (u u – –) in choral odes; Sappho’s “Ode to Aphrodite” includes ionic elements; Pindar’s victory odes employ ionic feet for rhythmic variation; Catullus 61 uses ionic meter in wedding hymns.
Additional Notes
An ionic foot is a classical metrical unit of four syllables: two shorts followed by two longs (u u – –); rare in English but appears in adapted Greek meters; students should recognize it in translations or imitations of Sappho or Anacreon.
Also Known As
Ionic metrical unit Four-syllable foot Light-light-heavy-heavy Classical ionic Ionic
Skip to main content