Trameter (also called trimeter) contains three feet, creating shorter lines than tetrameter with more rapid, energetic, or delicate effects depending on the specific foot type and stress patterns. In poetry, trameter appears in lighter verse, songs, children's poetry, and intentionally abbreviated dramatic lines; the shorter line length creates pace, intimacy, or constraint that emphasizes individual words and concentrated emotion, as seen in Emily Dickinson's famous hymn-based trimeter patterns.

Trameter is a rare term sometimes used to denote a line of three metrical measures or cola, particularly in classical rhetoric or biblical poetry, rather than three feet (which is trimeter). Confusion arises because "tri-" suggests three, but trameter isn’t standard in English prosody. Most likely, it’s a historical or specialized usage. Students should verify context—often, "trimeter" is the intended term. When used correctly, trameter implies a tripartite phrasal structure rather than strict foot count.