Meter Maker

Tap out the rhythm of a line of verse — which beats are stressed, which fall away.

How to play

Each line is split into syllables. Mark every syllable as stressed or unstressed to scan the line correctly, revealing its metrical pattern — the steady da-DUM of an iamb or the lilt of other feet.

• Click a syllable to toggle it between stressed and unstressed
• Match the line's true metrical pattern
• Identify the rhythm — iambic, trochaic and more
• Scan every line right to complete the round

Controls

• Desktop: click or tap a syllable to mark its stress; keyboard shortcuts speed up scanning
• Phone & tablet: tap each syllable to toggle it

Game modes

• Daily: a shared seeded poem ranked globally
• Practice: fresh lines each round across Easy, Medium and Hard

Tips & strategy

• Say the line aloud and exaggerate the beat — your voice naturally lands on the stresses
• Most English verse alternates, so a stressed syllable usually follows an unstressed one
• Content words tend to be stressed; small function words like 'the' and 'of' usually aren't

What you'll learn

Meter Maker teaches poetic meter through hands-on scansion, training you to hear and mark the stresses that give verse its rhythm.

• Skills: poetic meter, scansion, stressed and unstressed syllables, prosody
• Best for: roughly grades 6–12 (ages 11+)
• For parents & teachers: a rare, practical way to teach scansion and meter.

About Meter Maker

Meter Maker is an original, free browser game that teaches poetic meter through hands-on scansion. Play instantly — no install or sign-up.

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