What is rhythm?

Rhythm refers to the pattern of stressed syllables and unstressed syllables of language. It is sometimes referred to as “meter”. Normal speech has a natural rhythm. Some parts of words receive more emphasis when we say them out loud than others do. In poetry, the poet is more conscious of the rhythm. Often the poet will try to create predictable patterns of rhythm to create a specific tone. For example, a faster, more energetic rhythm might be used for a humorous topic. A slower and a longer rhythm might be used for a more serious topic.

You can indicate the rhythm of the words in a poem by using special marks to show which syllables are emphasized. These marks are placed over each syllable of a word. Stressed syllables are indicated by a “/”, while unstressed syllables are indicated by a “u”. Patterns of stressed syllables and unstressed syllables are separated by “|”. One pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is called a foot. Look at the table below to learn the names of common stress patterns.

Dictionaries are valuable tools when reading poetry. In addition to revealing the meanings of new words, dictionaries can be used to discover how words are broken into syllables, how the syllables are stressed, and how words are pronounced.