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Truncated iambic trimeter

Meter
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

An iambic three-foot line shortened by omission of one or more syllables

Detailed Definition
Truncated iambic trimeter is a three-foot iambic line that has been shortened by omitting one or more syllables, typically the initial unstressed syllable (making it acephalous) or the final unstressed syllable; this metrical compression creates rhythmic tension, urgency, or starkness, often used for dramatic emphasis or to mimic abrupt speech in poetic dialogue.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Break, break, break” (Tennyson) uses three strong stresses without full iambic feet; “Out, out—” (Frost) opens with truncated trimeter; “Stop all the clocks” (Auden) delivers three beats in compressed form; “Hark! hark! the lark” (Shakespeare) uses dramatic three-stress line.
Additional Notes
Truncated iambic trimeter is a three-foot iambic line missing one or more syllables (usually at the end), creating a clipped, abrupt effect; often used for tension or finality.
Also Known As
Shortened iambic trimeter headless trimeter clipped three-beat line light trimeter Iambic trimeter catalectic Shortened three-foot iambic
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