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limping iambic

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

An iambic line with an irregular or uneven rhythm, often due to substitution or truncation

Detailed Definition
Limping iambic describes an iambic line that deliberately stumbles through metrical substitutions—spondees, pyrrhics, or extra syllables—to convey weakness, hesitation, or emotional strain; this “limp” disrupts the expected rhythm for expressive effect, as in the weary cadences of Robert Frost’s dramatic monologues or Wilfred Owen’s war verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
A line like “To be or not to be that is the quest” where the final foot limps (unstressed); Iambic pentameter with a truncated last syllable: “The world is too much with us late and soon”; A verse where the rhythm stumbles intentionally: “I walked to town but lost my way”; A poem using “limping” meter to convey weariness or uncertainty.
Additional Notes
Limping iambic ends a line with a truncated (unstressed) foot, creating a “limp”; it conveys weariness or incompleteness—use intentionally for emotional effect.
Also Known As
Halting iamb Lame pentameter Short-footed line Truncated beat choliambic six-measure choliambic variant Scazon
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