Wrenched accent is a metrical irregularity in which a word is forced to conform to a poetic meter by unnaturally shifting its stress (e.g., pronouncing "heaven" as HEAV-en instead of heav-EN to fit an iambic line). Common in 18th- and 19th-century verse when strict meter was prioritized over natural speech, wrenched accents can create jarring or archaic effects. While often criticized as artificial, they sometimes serve expressive purposes—highlighting a word, creating dissonance, or signaling elevated diction. For students, analyzing wrenched accents reveals the historical tension between metrical convention and linguistic authenticity, and how poets negotiate the demands of form against the rhythms of living speech.

Accent shifted from natural stress to fit meter. Related to Wrenched rhyme. Creates tension between natural speech and formal pattern. Use sparingly to avoid awkwardness.