Home › Glossary › Letter S

step progression

Structure
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 poetic structure in which stanzas or lines build incrementally in length, intensity, or complexity

Detailed Definition
Step progression is a structural technique where a poem advances through a series of incremental stages—each stanza or line building logically or emotionally on the last—creating a staircase-like ascent toward revelation or climax; this method emphasizes development, causality, and cumulative intensity.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem where stanzas increase by one line each time: 1, 2, 3, 4; Robert Frost’s “The Draft Horse” uses incremental progression; Stanzas building from single image to complex tableau; Verse structured to mimic climbing stairs
Additional Notes
Step progression increases line or stanza length incrementally to create visual and rhythmic ascent; mirrors emotional or narrative buildup; used in liturgical and modern experimental poetry
Also Known As
staircase progression ascending build tiered ascent incremental climb Gradatio
Skip to main content