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Spondee

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 foot comprising two stressed syllables (– –), used to add weight, emphasis, or solemnity within a predominantly iambic or trochaic line.

Explore this topic in depth (1)

Metre and Rhythm — Metre gives poetry an underlying pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables; rhythm is the living sound that results when a person reads it. Learn to hear the beat before naming it, and to notice how poets use regularity and variation to make language move.

Detailed Definition
A spondee is a metrical foot in poetry consisting of two consecutive stressed syllables (e.g., "heartbreak" or "downtown"), often used to disrupt regular meter for emphasis, emotional intensity, or rhythmic variation; while rare as a dominant foot in English verse due to linguistic patterns, spondees effectively heighten dramatic moments or convey weighty concepts.
Example
Example in poetry:
Spondee: two stressed syllables—“Heartbreak”; In “Trochee trips from long to short. / From short to long in solemn sort” (Coleridge), “long to” is spondaic; War poetry uses spondees for impact: “Blood red”; Spondees slow rhythm and add weight; They’re rare but powerful in English meter.
Additional Notes
Spondee: A metrical foot with two stressed syllables (DUM-DUM); rare in sustained use but powerful for emphasis (e.g., “heartbreak,” “true blue”); often appears in dramatic or ceremonial verse.
Also Known As
Double-stress foot Heavy measure Two-long syllables Strong-strong unit
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