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irregular dimeter

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 two-foot line with inconsistent or unpredictable stress placement, defying regular metrical expectations for expressive or disruptive effect.

Detailed Definition
Irregular dimeter is a two-beat line that intentionally varies its metrical pattern—mixing iambs, trochees, spondees, or anapests—to avoid monotony and reflect natural speech rhythms or emotional turbulence; though concise, such lines gain expressive power through their unpredictability, as seen in Emily Dickinson’s compressed, halting verse that mirrors psychological intensity.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Break, break, break” by Tennyson uses irregular dimeter with varying stresses; “Farewell, thou child of my right hand” (Ben Jonson) mixes dimeter with irregular beats; Short lines in Cummings’ “l(a” use irregular dimeter for emotional effect; “Stop. / Go.” in minimalist poetry shows irregular dimeter’s starkness
Additional Notes
Irregular dimeter uses two-beat lines but varies stress patterns or syllable counts intentionally to avoid monotony; effective in dramatic or speech-like contexts where rhythmic surprise enhances meaning.
Also Known As
Asymmetrical Dimeter Unfixed Two-Beat Variable Short Line Irregular Two-Stress Logaoedic dimeter
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