Home › Glossary › Letter P

Period

Notation
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 full stop (.) marking the end of a sentence or complete thought in poetry.

Detailed Definition
The period provides closure, finality, or resolution in verse; its placement controls pacing, shapes stanzaic units, and can create stark contrast when juxtaposed with enjambment, influencing the poem’s emotional and rhythmic arc.
Example
Example in poetry:
Periods end declarative lines: “The sky is blue.”; In minimalist poetry, single-word lines end with periods: “Gone.”; Periods create finality: “I am done.”; In modern verse, sparse periods heighten impact; Some poets omit periods for openness; In haiku, periods are rare but used for emphasis.
Additional Notes
Period: The period (.) marks full stops in syntax and often line or stanza closure in end-stopped verse; its absence in enjambed lines creates momentum—understanding its strategic use is key to interpreting poetic pacing and rhetorical closure.
Also Known As
full stop
Skip to main content