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Unstressed-stressed pair

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

A two-syllable metrical unit beginning with an unstressed syllable and ending with a stressed one

Detailed Definition
An unstressed-stressed pair is the fundamental building block of iambic meter in English poetry, consisting of two syllables where the first is light or unemphasized and the second is heavy or emphasized (da-DUM); this rhythmic unit mirrors natural speech patterns and provides the foundation for much lyric and dramatic verse, from Shakespeare to contemporary free verse with iambic undertones.
Example
Example in poetry:
“To BE” forms an unstressed-stressed pair (iamb); “aRISE” demonstrates the same pattern; “deCIDE,” “preTEND,” and “reCEDE” all follow unstressed-stressed rhythm; iambic meter is built from this foundational pair.
Additional Notes
Unstressed-stressed pair is the defining pattern of an iambic foot; the building block of rising meter in English poetry.
Also Known As
Iambic foot rising foot short-long unit Iamb Iambus
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