Home › Glossary › Letter I

irregular rhythm

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 line with inconsistent metrical pattern lacking strict regularity.

Detailed Definition
Irregular rhythm in poetry refers to a deliberate departure from predictable beat or cadence, achieved through varied line lengths, syncopation, caesurae, or metrical substitutions; this technique mirrors psychological states, natural phenomena, or modern chaos, resisting mechanical regularity.
Example
Example in poetry:
The free-verse line "Sometimes I'm in a trance, sometimes I'm wide awake" mixes dactylic and iambic fragments; A modern poem's lines shifting abruptly between 10, 5, and 14 syllables without a discernible pattern; A prose poem that breaks up its sentences into lines with no consistent stress or syllable count; The rhythm of a spoken word piece that deliberately speeds up, slows down, and pauses unpredictably to mimic natural speech
Additional Notes
irregular rhythm: A poetic rhythm that lacks a fixed, repeating pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables; contributes to a feeling of natural speech, spontaneity, or emotional intensity; key characteristic of free verse.
Also Known As
uneven rhythm broken cadence irregular pulse Mixed rhythm Variable meter
Skip to main content