Home › Glossary › Letter P

Pyrrhic hexameter

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 six-foot line of pyrrhics (two shorts), creating swift, light rhythm

Detailed Definition
Pyrrhic hexameter is a six-foot line dominated by pyrrhic feet, producing an unusually swift and fluid rhythm; while rare in English due to its lack of stress, it may appear in experimental or musical verse seeking to mimic the quantitative flow of classical dactylic hexameter.
Example
Example in poetry:
Pyrrhic hexameter: A line of six pyrrhic feet (12 unstressed syllables) is theoretically possible but practically nonexistent; more commonly, pyrrhics appear as substitutions in dactylic hexameter.
Additional Notes
Six-foot line including pyrrhic substitutions. Creates variation in hexameter pattern. Usually occasional rather than sustained. Study how pyrrhics create rhythmic relief.
Also Known As
Double-unstressed hexameter Two-short six-foot Weak long line Unaccented hexameter Double-short hexameter Five-foot pyrrhic Six-foot pyrrhic
Skip to main content