Home › Glossary › Letter S

Short Meter

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 four-line stanza with a syllable structure of 6.6.8.6., often rhyming ABCB

Detailed Definition
Short Meter refers to a hymn stanza form composed of alternating lines of six and eight syllables in the pattern 6.6.8.6, typically falling into iambic rhythm; shorter and brisker than long meter, it balances brevity with musicality, enabling congregational singing while maintaining formal elegance, and is often used in hymnals to accommodate various tunes while giving verses a compact, memorable cadence.
Example
Example in poetry:
Short Meter in hymns: 6.6.8.6 syllables—“O for a thousand tongues to sing”; In Dickinson: “I’m nobody! Who are you?” (6.6.8.6); Contemporary adaptation: “My phone buzzes— / no one calls— / just ads for things / I don’t need”; Student exercise: Short Meter poem on digital isolation; Another: eco-lament in Short Meter.
Additional Notes
Short Meter in hymns alternates lines of six and eight syllables (6.6.8.6), producing variety and song-like rhythm.
Also Known As
66.86 meter Short hymn stanza Common meter short Abbreviated measure
Skip to main content