Meter
Literary term · say it MEE-ter
Meter is a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in verse. These patterns give lines a recurring beat, though individual lines may vary; names such as iambic pentameter describe both the pattern and how often it repeats.
Three common patterns of meter
Iambic meter
An iamb has an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable: da-DUM. Iambic pentameter has five of these units in a line.
In Hamlet, Hamlet's speech weighing life against death follows a largely iambic pentameter pattern, with variations that interrupt the regular beat.
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Trochaic meter
A trochee has a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable: DUM-da. Trochaic tetrameter has four of these units in a line.
In The Song of Hiawatha, the account of Hiawatha's childhood with Nokomis follows a steady trochaic beat as she teaches him about the natural world.
In The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Anapestic meter
An anapest has two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable: da-da-DUM. This pattern often gives verse a rolling or galloping movement.
In Hebrew Melodies, the poem about Sennacherib's destruction opens with an advancing Assyrian army, carried along by an anapestic beat.
In Hebrew Melodies by Lord Byron
How to spot meter
- Read a few lines aloud at a natural pace.
- Mark the syllables that receive the strongest emphasis.
- Look for a repeating pattern of stresses and count its units in each line.
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What is the difference between meter and rhythm?
Meter is a recurring pattern of stresses, while rhythm is the movement you hear across the words and pauses. A poem can keep a regular meter while its rhythm shifts through pauses, changes in emphasis, or occasional departures from the pattern.
Does meter mean counting syllables?
In most English verse, meter involves both syllable count and the arrangement of stresses. Two lines can have the same number of syllables but different meters. Counting helps, but listening for which syllables receive emphasis is just as important.
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