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Monometer

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

A metrical line containing only one foot—such as a single iamb or trochee—creating extreme brevity and emphasis.

Detailed Definition
Monometer is the shortest metrical line in English poetry, consisting of a single foot (e.g., one iamb: “To be”); though rare in extended use, it creates stark emphasis or breathless urgency, as in Robert Herrick’s “Upon His Departure Hence,” where minimalism heightens existential weight.
Example
Example in poetry:
Monometer: one metrical foot per line; “Come.”; “Stay.”; “Go.”; Rare; used for emphasis or telegram style; In nursery rhymes: “Jack / Sprat”; Extreme brevity; each line a single beat.
Additional Notes
Monometer is single-foot poetic line. Rarest meter in English; creates staccato effect. Compare with dimeter. See Robert Herrick's "Thus I" for classic example. Often combined with longer lines for variation.
Also Known As
one-foot line single foot
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