Home › Glossary › Letter M

Metrical emphasis

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

Stress or prominence given to certain syllables according to a poem’s metrical pattern

Detailed Definition
Metrical emphasis refers to the patterned placement of stressed syllables in a line of verse to create rhythm, highlight key words, or shape emotional tone; it is the backbone of accentual-syllabic prosody, guiding how a poem is voiced and interpreted by the reader.
Example
Example in poetry:
In iambic pentameter, metrical emphasis falls on every second syllable (“To be, or not to be: that is the question”); In trochaic tetrameter, metrical emphasis begins each foot (“Tyger Tyger, burning bright”); In anapestic trimeter, metrical emphasis lands on the third syllable (“Twas the night before Christmas”); In dactylic hexameter, metrical emphasis leads each foot (“This is the forest primeval”)
Additional Notes
Metrical emphasis highlights certain words or ideas through strategic placement in strong metrical positions; poets manipulate stress to guide reader attention and emotional response.
Also Known As
Rhythmic stress Prosodic accent Beat prominence Dependent accent Metrical stress
Skip to main content