Home › Glossary › Letter O

Ovillejo

Form
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 Spanish form consisting of ten lines in a single stanza, usually combining three couplets and a final tercet with a repeating last word.

Detailed Definition
The lines alternate between short (octosyllabic or less) and long, creating a playful, interwoven effect with a repeated word at the end of each line of the initial three couplets.
Example
Example in poetry:
A shadow fell nearby/I heard the wind go by/But nothing caught my eye/Of all that I did spy/Close to the old mill's shed/The voice was only fled/From the silence I held instead.
Additional Notes
Spanish form: octave + three couplets answering riddle. Complex structure. Medieval origin. Study tip: First eight lines pose question; following couplets answer using line-end words.
Also Known As
Spanish form Mixed verse Question-answer poem Tercet-couplet form
Skip to main content