prismatic end-sound

Rhyme
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 terminal sound in a line that echoes with layered phonetic or symbolic resonance

Detailed Definition
Prismatic end-sound is a terminal phonetic effect where a line’s closing syllable refracts multiple resonances through assonance, consonance, or echoic repetition; this technique enriches closure by layering sonic textures—such as a whispered “-ing” that evokes both longing and fading—making the final sound linger with emotional and musical complexity.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Keats’s “Ode to a Nightingale,” “forlorn” echoes both loneliness and distant lands; In “The Waste Land,” “drip drop” mimics water while suggesting emotional leakage; Plath’s “Ariel” uses “white / Godiva” where sound blends purity, myth, and exposure; Hopkins’s “sprung rhythm” creates prismatic consonance in “dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon”
Additional Notes
Prismatic end-sounds create layered resonance through assonance, consonance, or semantic echo; go beyond simple rhyme to suggest multiple meanings; used by Keats, Plath, and Hopkins; aim for sonic richness without obscurity
Also Known As
Resonant end-sound chromatic rhyme echoing terminal sonorous closure Kaleidoscopic rhyme
Skip to main content