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Tribrach

Foot
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 consisting of three unstressed (or short) syllables, commonly found in classical quantitative verse and rare in English.

Detailed Definition
A tribrach is a metrical foot consisting of three short or unstressed syllables (˘ ˘ ˘), relatively uncommon in English poetry due to the language’s stress-timed rhythm but occasionally used for special effects such as rapidity, lightness, or comic tone; when employed—often within an otherwise regular meter like iambic pentameter—the tribrach creates a momentary acceleration or breathless quality, as in light verse or dramatic speech where syllabic overflow mimics natural speech patterns, demonstrating how metrical variation can enhance character voice or emotional nuance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Tribrach (u u u) appears in Greek lyric for light, rapid rhythm; modern example: A.M. Juster adapts it in neo-Latin verse; tribrach creates fluid, dance-like cadence; it’s rare in English due to stress-timed rhythm; this foot suits joyous or frantic themes; it’s common in comedy and hymn.
Additional Notes
Metrical foot of three short/unstressed syllables (˘˘˘). Classical prosody term. Creates rapid, flowing rhythm; contrast with slower spondee or molossus feet.
Also Known As
Three-short foot Triple-unstressed Quick triplet Weak trio
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