Home › Glossary › Letter T

Truncated beat

Meter
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 metrical foot or line that is cut short, omitting one or more expected syllables

Detailed Definition
Truncated beat is a metrical foot or line deliberately shortened by omitting one or more syllables, creating rhythmic abruptness or emphasis; this technique introduces tension, urgency, or fragmentation, often signaling emotional rupture or stylistic modernity.
Example
Example in poetry:
A line missing its final unstressed syllable: “The CURfew TOLLS the KNELL of PART” (instead of “PARTing”); “She WALKS in BEAU” — truncated iambic tetrameter; A dimeter line cut short: “Moon shines. / Night—” ; “Go now—” ending abruptly on stress
Additional Notes
Truncated beat omits a final unstressed syllable in an otherwise regular meter, creating a sharp, abrupt ending; common in masculine line endings.
Also Known As
shortened beat clipped foot abbreviated meter curtailed rhythm limping iambic truncated rhythm
Skip to main content