iambic

Iambic refers to a metrical pattern used in poetry defined by the iamb, a two-syllable foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one (da-DUM). When lines are built from a sequence of iambs, they are described as iambic.

The most common form in English verse is iambic pentameter, consisting of five iambs per line (ten syllables). Other well-known forms include iambic tetrameter (four iambs per line) and iambic trimeter (three iambs per line). Iambic meters often align with the natural cadence of English speech, which helps produce a regular, rising rhythm in lines.

Poets employ variations to create emphasis or change pace, including initial inversion (starting with a stressed syllable, a trochaic feel), feminine endings (an extra unstressed syllable at the end of a line), or occasional substitutions that disrupt the regular pattern for effect. Lines may also be catalectic (missing a final unstressed beat) or otherwise altered for variety.

Historically, iambic meter has been central to English poetry since the Renaissance and remains prominent in drama and lyric poetry. Shakespeare frequently wrote in iambic pentameter (often in blank verse, with occasional deviations), and it has been a standard in the works of many poets from the Elizabethan era onward. Iambic verse also appears in hymns and in some neoclassical poems, reflecting its broad adaptability.

Example: a line in iambic pentameter is “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” where the natural unstressed-stressed pattern repeats across five feet.