Home › Glossary › Letter M

Mixed four-foot meter

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 tetrameter line combining different metrical feet (e.g., iambic, trochaic, anapestic) within a single rhythmic framework.

Detailed Definition
Mixed four-foot meter is a tetrameter line incorporating multiple metrical types—such as iambic, trochaic, and anapestic feet—within its four measures, allowing for rhythmic flexibility and expressive nuance in lyrical or narrative verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Mixed four-foot meter: Tetrameter lines combining different feet; Alternation of iambs and dactyls; Examples from early 20th-century poetry; Verses with varied meter for effect
Additional Notes
Mixed four-foot meter: A tetrameter line that is composed of a mixture of two or more different metrical feet (e.g., iambs and anapests); see Dactylic-trochaic tetrameter (7155).
Also Known As
Composite tetrameter Mixed four-foot verse Hybrid four-measure line Combined quadruple meter Dactylo-trochaic tetrameter Dactylic-trochaic tetrameter
Skip to main content