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Tilde

Notation
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 wavy mark (~) used for approximation, nasalization, or in Spanish ñ, affecting poetic sound.

Detailed Definition
The tilde modifies pronunciation (e.g., Spanish ñ) or indicates approximation; in poetry, it preserves phonetic accuracy in multilingual texts and can symbolize fluidity, ambiguity, or wave-like rhythm through its visual form.
Example
Example in poetry:
Tildes (~) appear in Spanish poetry: “niño”; In approximations: “~50 years of silence”; Some poets use ~ for similarity: “love~hate”; In digital poetry, ~ denotes home directories; Experimental works use ~ as visual wave; In minimalist verse, “~gone” employs tilde.
Additional Notes
Tilde: The tilde (~) can indicate approximation, nasalization (as in Spanish ñ), or serve as a stylistic flourish; in digital poetry, it often connotes approximation or fluid identity—its wavy form visually echoes themes of instability or transition.
Also Known As
swung dash (in informal contexts) squiggle
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