endstopped

End-stopped, often written endstopped, is a term used in linguistics and poetry to describe a unit that ends with a natural pause. In poetry, an end-stopped line finishes at a grammatical boundary, often marked by punctuation or a completed syntactic unit. This produces a perceptible pause at the end of the line and frequently aligns with clauses or phrases. By contrast, lines that run over the break without a syntactic boundary are said to be enjambed, creating momentum and continuing the sense into the next line.

In phonology and phonetics, end-stopped can refer to a syllable that ends with a consonant or consonant cluster, i.e., a closed syllable or coda. This contrasts with open syllables, which end in a vowel. The presence or absence of a coda affects syllable weight, stress placement, and rhythm. English, for instance, contains many final-consonant endings, whereas some languages restrict codas or favor open syllables. In some descriptions, end-stopped syllables are described as having a coda rather than as ending in a stop.

Usage varies by discipline. In traditional poetics, end-stopped lines contribute to a sense of closure and can reflect syntactic or rhetorical boundaries. In contemporary phonology, closed syllable is the common term for a syllable with a coda, though end-stopped appears in discussions of how rhythm and tone interact with syllable structure. See also: enjambment, closed syllable, open syllable, coda.