Home › Glossary › Letter O

Octosyllable

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 metrical line containing exactly eight syllables, commonly used in French and English verse for rhythmic concision.

Detailed Definition
Octosyllable denotes a metrical line of eight syllables, commonly used in French and English poetry (e.g., in ballads or Chaucer’s early works); its brisk, flexible rhythm suits narrative verse, dialogue, and lyrical expression, offering a lighter alternative to iambic pentameter.
Example
Example in poetry:
Octosyllable in Marlowe’s “Hero and Leander” (“Come live with me, and be my love”); French alexandrine’s half-line often octosyllabic; nursery rhymes like “Humpty Dumpty” use octosyllabic couplets; modern example: W.H. Auden’s light verse in “As I Walked Out One Evening”
Additional Notes
Octosyllable is eight-syllable line, typically iambic tetrameter. Common in English (ballads, Swift, Marvell). Creates rapid pace; flexible for narrative and lyric. Contrast with pentameter's stateliness. Study Renaissance and Romantic examples.
Also Known As
Eight-syllable line octameter 8-syllable verse
Skip to main content