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Song refrain

Rhyme
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 repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of stanzas

Detailed Definition
A song refrain is a repeated line or phrase at regular intervals (often stanza endings) that functions like a musical chorus, reinforcing theme, mood, or rhythm; in poetry, it creates structural unity and emotional resonance through predictable recurrence.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Hey, hey, my friend— / This song won’t end!” (refrain); “La la la, the wind sings low— / La la la, wherever you go” (nonsense refrain); “Remember me, remember me— / Under the old oak tree” (repeated plea); “Sing again, sing again— / The healing song of when” (chorus-like return)
Additional Notes
A song refrain repeats lyrically for musical effect—common in ballads, blues poetry, and sung verse; enhances memorability and emotional resonance.
Also Known As
Chorus refrain lyrical echo song chorus repeating melodic line Melodious refrain song burden Song-like refrain
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