Poetry Prosody Guide
The Six Metrical Feet in Poetry
A metrical foot is the acoustic heartbeat of formal verse. Explore the six foundational feet of English poetry — their rhythm, notation, historical origins, and famous masterwork examples.
Iamb (Iambic)
Acoustic Cadence: da-DUM (weak-STRONG)
The iamb is the default acoustic pulse of the English language. Because spoken English naturally alternates between stressed lexical words and unstressed grammatical particles, iambic rhythm matches ordinary conversation while elevating it to formal grace.
Etymology: Greek ἴαμβος (iambos), originally an invective poetic meter.
Famous Verse Examples
"Shall I comPARE thee TO a SUMmer's DAY?"
— Shakespeare — Sonnet 18
"The CURfew TOLLS the KNELL of PARting DAY."
— Thomas Gray — Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
"The WOODS are LOVEly, DARK and DEEP."
— Robert Frost — Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Trochee (Trochaic)
Acoustic Cadence: DUM-da (STRONG-weak)
The trochee starts with a stressed beat and falls to an unstressed beat. It produces a driving, incantatory, urgent, or ominous chant. Often used for dramatic spells, supernatural utterances, and aggressive invocations.
Etymology: Greek τροχαῖος (trokhaios), meaning 'running' or 'tripping'.
Famous Verse Examples
"TYger! TYger! BURNing BRIGHT / IN the FORests OF the NIGHT."
— William Blake — The Tyger
"DOUble, DOUble, TOIL and TROUBle; / FIre BURN and CAULdron BUBble."
— Shakespeare — Macbeth (The Witches' Chant)
"BY the SHORES of GITCHEE GUmee, / BY the SHINing BIG-Sea-WATer."
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — The Song of Hiawatha
Anapest (Anapestic)
Acoustic Cadence: da-da-DUM (weak-weak-STRONG)
The anapest builds momentum across two unstressed syllables before striking a strong final stress. This creates a buoyant, galloping, rolling musical rhythm commonly found in narrative ballads, light comic verse, and limericks.
Etymology: Greek ἀνάπαιστος (anapaistos), meaning 'struck back' or 'reversed dactyl'.
Famous Verse Examples
"The AsSYRian came DOWN like the WOLF on the FOLD."
— Lord Byron — The Destruction of Sennacherib
"'Twas the NIGHT before CHRISTmas, when ALL through the HOUSE."
— Clement Clarke Moore — A Visit from St. Nicholas
Dactyl (Dactylic)
Acoustic Cadence: DUM-da-da (STRONG-weak-weak)
The dactyl begins with a commanding stress followed by two light syllables. It is the noble, sweeping meter of classical Greco-Roman epic poetry (Homer and Virgil) and produces a stately, waltz-like cadence in English.
Etymology: Greek δάκτυλος (daktylos), meaning 'finger' (like the 3 phalanges: one long, two short).
Famous Verse Examples
"THIS is the FOrest priMEval. The MURmuring PINES and the HEMlocks."
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — Evangeline
"HALF a league, HALF a league, / HALF a league ONward."
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson — The Charge of the Light Brigade
Spondee (Spondaic)
Acoustic Cadence: DUM-DUM (STRONG-STRONG)
A spondee consists of two consecutive stressed syllables. In English accentual verse, whole poems are rarely written entirely in spondees; rather, spondees serve as powerful metrical substitutions to slow down a line, create heavy friction, or emphasize physical shock.
Etymology: Greek σπονδή (sponde), a solemn drink offering accompanied by slow libation music.
Famous Verse Examples
"ROUGH WINDS do SHAKE the DARling BUDS of MAY."
— Shakespeare — Sonnet 18 (Foot 1 Spondaic Substitution)
"BREAK, BREAK, BREAK, / On thy COLD GRAY STONES, O SEA!"
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson — Break, Break, Break
Pyrrhic (Pyrrhic (or Dibrach))
Acoustic Cadence: da-da (weak-weak)
A pyrrhic foot contains two light, unstressed syllables. Like the spondee, it is almost exclusively a substitution foot. By offering two slack beats in sequence, a pyrrhic accelerates the pace and allows the subsequent stressed beat to strike with heightened emphasis.
Etymology: Greek πυρρίχιος (pyrrhikhos), named after a fast Spartan war dance.
Famous Verse Examples
"To the SWEET BIRD that SINGS in the NIGHT."
— Foot 1 Pyrrhic Substitution Example
"When TO the SESsions OF sweet SI-lent THOUGHT."
— Shakespeare — Sonnet 30 ('When to the' = Pyrrhic + Iamb)
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Metrical Feet
What is a metrical foot in poetry?▶
A metrical foot is the basic repeating rhythmic building block of a poetic line. It consists of a specific combination of stressed (—) and unstressed (˘) syllables.
What is the difference between duple and triple feet?▶
Duple feet consist of two syllables (Iamb ˘ —, Trochee — ˘, Spondee — —, Pyrrhic ˘ ˘), creating a steady, balanced pulse. Triple feet consist of three syllables (Anapest ˘ ˘ —, Dactyl — ˘ ˘), producing a faster, undulating, rolling cadence.
Why do poets use substitutions instead of keeping the exact same foot?▶
Continuous metrical regularity without variation can sound monotonous or mechanical. Master poets introduce expressive substitutions (such as an opening trochee in an iambic line) to mirror psychological emotion and emphasize crucial concepts.
Can I test my own lines to see which feet they contain?▶
Yes! Use our free online Poetry Meter Checker to paste your lines, view interactive stress notation, and inspect foot boundary divisions automatically.