Pentameter is a rhythmic pattern in poetry where each line contains five beats, or stressed syllables.

When you read a line of pentameter aloud, you can hear five stressed syllables, like five small drum beats. The most famous type is called iambic pentameter, where unstressed and stressed syllables alternate: da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM. Shakespeare wrote much of his poetry and many of his plays in iambic pentameter. For example, when Romeo says “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?” you can hear those five beats if you emphasize the capitalized syllables: “but SOFT what LIGHT through YONder WINdow BREAKS.”

Pentameter gives poetry a natural, speech-like rhythm that sounds pleasant to our ears. Many of the greatest poets in English, from Shakespeare to Robert Frost, chose pentameter because it flows smoothly while still sounding formal and dignified. When you read poetry with strong pentameter, you might notice yourself naturally swaying or tapping along to its steady rhythm, like listening to a song with a clear beat.