Online Tool Store
Poetry Meter Scanner
Paste English poetry to mark stressed and unstressed syllables, scan every line, and compare iambic, trochaic, anapestic, and dactylic patterns.
This works right here on your device — nothing gets sent out.
Example poems
Scansion
Overall meter
—
˘ unstressed · — stressed
How the Poetry Meter Scanner works
- Paste English poetry or choose a built-in example.
- The browser estimates syllables and marks each one as stressed or unstressed.
- Review each line's best-fit meter, syllable count, and the overall pattern, then copy the scansion.
FAQ
What is scansion?
Scansion is marking the stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse to identify its meter — the rhythmic pattern, like iambic pentameter, that the poet is working within.
What does "iambic pentameter" mean?
Five ("penta") repeating unstressed-STRESSED syllable pairs ("iambs") per line — the meter Shakespeare's sonnets and much of English verse drama is written in.
Does this work for free verse?
Scansion is most useful for metered poetry. Free verse doesn't follow a fixed stress pattern, so a scan of it won't reveal a consistent meter — that's expected, not a bug.
Can it detect meters other than iambic pentameter?
Yes. Each line is scored against iambic, trochaic, anapestic, and dactylic patterns and named with its foot count — for example trochaic tetrameter or anapestic trimeter — not just iambic pentameter.
Can I scan a whole poem, not just one line?
Yes. Paste multiple lines and the tool scans each one individually, then gives an overall verdict — such as "mostly iambic pentameter" — for the poem as a whole.
How we compare
| Feature | Online Tool Store | Scanning by ear alone | A literature textbook's worked examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual stress marks | ✓ | ✗ | Sometimes |
| Works on your own lines | ✓ | ✓ | No — fixed examples only |
| Instant feedback | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
When you're checking your own verse against a meter, this gives faster feedback than scanning by ear alone.