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Masculine

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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 line ending in a stressed syllable, conforming strictly to the expected metrical count

Explore this topic in depth (1)

Rhyme — Rhyme is more than a matching sound at the ends of lines. This guide explores how poets use rhyme to organise language, create expectation, make connections between words and alter what we hear when a poem is read or sung.

Detailed Definition
Masculine describes a line ending on a stressed syllable, matching the final beat of the prevailing meter—most commonly in iambic or trochaic lines; this strong, definitive closure is the default in English poetry, providing rhythmic stability and rhetorical emphasis, and contrasts with feminine endings to create subtle tonal and structural variety.
Example
Example in poetry:
A masculine ending concludes a line on a stressed syllable, as in Shakespeare: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (though this line is actually feminine—better example: “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May” is feminine; a true masculine: “But thy eternal summer shall not fade”); Milton’s “Paradise Lost”: “Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit”; Most iambic pentameter lines in heroic couplets end masculinely; Masculine rhyme pairs like “light”/“night” are single-syllable; The term denotes rhythmic and rhyming finality; Masculine endings provide strong closure in narrative verse.
Additional Notes
Masculine: A line ending on a stressed (or long) syllable, typical in English iambic pentameter and classical hexameter; forms the basis of “masculine rhyme” (single-syllable rhyme); contrast with feminine endings to understand rhyme schemes and metrical closure.
Also Known As
Masculine ending Masculine rhyme
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