cadence

prosody

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 22, 2026

Quick Summary

Cadence refers to the rhythmic flow of sounds in language, music, or even nature, characterized by a regular or steady beat. It is the beat, time, or measure of rhythmical motion. In poetry and prose, cadence contributes to the acoustic and rhythmic effects, influencing the overall sound and feel of the text.123

Prosody is the study of these elements in language, focusing on rhythm, sound, and meter, primarily in poetry but also applicable to prose. It examines how syllables combine to form rhythmic patterns and explores sound devices like alliteration and assonance. While meter is a structured organization of rhythm, cadence can be seen as the natural, speech-like rhythm that emerges from these elements.3456

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

6 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

prosody
Scansion
…constitutes a rhythmic constant, or cadence, a pattern binding together the separate sentences and sentence fragments into a long surge of feeling. At one point in the passage, the rhythm sharpens into metre; a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables falls into a regular sequence:
Read More
…constitutes a rhythmic constant, or cadence, a pattern binding together the separate sentences and sentence fragments into a long surge of feeling. At one point in the passage, the rhythm sharpens into metre; a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables falls into a regular sequence:
Read More