Most lines of a poem have several feet. The number of feet found in a line of poetry is given a name. A prefix is added to the word “meter” to tell you how many feet are present. Look at the tables below to learn the names of common feet patterns.
| Feet Patterns |
|---|
| monometer (One foot) |
| dimeter (Two foot) |
| trimeter (Three foot) |
| tetrameter (Four foot) |
| pentameter (Five foot) |
| hexameter (Six foot) |
The names for the stress pattern and name for the number of feet in a line can be combined to name a line of poetry. Some examples include:
iambic tetrameter
iambic pentameter
Notice that the syllables of a single foot may consist of one word or extend over more than one word. The word “only”, for example, is divided between two feet.