Home › Glossary › Letter S

Spondaic pentameter

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 five-foot line composed entirely of spondees, creating weighty, deliberate cadence

Detailed Definition
Spondaic pentameter is a metrical line of five spondaic feet (each with two stressed syllables), producing a dense, pounding cadence uncommon in English verse due to linguistic constraints; it is typically employed for rhetorical emphasis or to convey gravitas, often appearing in fragments or mixed meters rather than sustained throughout a poem.
Example
Example in poetry:
Spondaic pentameter is rare but appears in emphatic lines: “Break BREAK / CRASH CRASH / THUNDER / LIGHTNING / STRIKE”; In Greek tragedy choruses; Contemporary experimental: “BLACK LIVES / MATTER NOW / FIGHT BACK / STAND TALL / RESIST”; Student example: protest chant adapted to spondaic pentameter; Another: “WAR DRUMS / BLOOD RAIN / DEATH MARCH / NO PEACE / END NOW.”
Additional Notes
Five spondees (ten stresses)—virtually impossible to sustain naturally in English. More pedagogical than practical. Study pentameter in iambic/trochaic forms for actual composition.
Also Known As
Spondaic five-foot Double-stress pentameter Heavy middle line All-stressed pentameter Long-long-short pentameter
Skip to main content