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Seven-syllable line

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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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 precisely seven syllables, common in syllabic verse traditions like Japanese or modern English forms.

Detailed Definition
A seven-syllable line is a metrical unit containing exactly seven syllables, prevalent in East Asian forms like Chinese qiyan and Japanese waka, as well as in Spanish romance poetry; its brevity encourages precision and imagistic focus, making it ideal for epigrammatic expression or lyrical condensation.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The moon is up” (4) extended to “The silver moon is rising high” (7); Bashō’s haiku middle line: “a worm digs silently” (7 syllables); “Over the hills” becomes “Over the green hills far away” (7); “She walks in beauty” adapted to “She walks in beauty like the night” (7 syllables)
Additional Notes
A seven-syllable line is common in East Asian forms (e.g., Chinese qijue) and English nursery rhymes; in stress-based meters, it often functions as tetrameter with a truncated final foot.
Also Known As
Heptasyllable seven-count line septenary syllabic unit Japanese seven-on line
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