# Poetic meter Western poetry uses quantitative meter, something not dissimilar from rhythm and meter in music.[^1] The basic unit of measurement is the [[Foot]], which is somewhat analogous to a beat in music. The name of a meter identifies what kind of [[Foot]] is being used as well as how many feet to a line. A couple examples of poetic meter that use this naming convention are [[Iambic tetrameter]] and [[Iambic pentameter]]. [[Common meter]] uses a particular combination of two meters. Whatever meter you write in, don't worry too much about writing in perfect iambs or whatever. In fact, doing so may get monotonous. Breaking from the form adds variety.[^2] I've found that [[Sprung rhythm]] is common in song for its speech-like characteristic. [^1]: [Metre (poetry) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre_(poetry)) [^2]: [](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgLSGIrk9JE)