Tap out the rhythm of a line of verse, which beats are stressed, which fall away.
Was this fun?
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.
A free, original browser game on PlayPendium. No download, no install.
