Poetry Terms

Foot - a unit of measure in a metrical line of poetry

Spondee - a foot consisting of two stressed syllables. Called 'spondaic'

Iamb - a foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. Called 'iambic'

Trochee - a foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable. Called 'trochaic'

Anapest - a foot consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. Called 'anapestic'

Dactyl - a foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. Called 'dactylic'

Line - the basic unit of a poem (measured in feet if metrical)

Meter - the rhythmic measure of a line

Tetrameter - a line consisting of four metrical feet

Pentameter - a line consisting of five metrical feet

Hexameter - a line consisting of six metrical feet