Poet's Glossary
Every craft has its vocabulary, and poetry's is one of the most beautiful. This glossary explains the forms, meters, rhymes and devices poets reach for, in plain and warm language. Whether you are decoding a sonnet or naming a technique you already use by instinct, start with a letter below.
How to use this glossary
Reading a poem and stuck on a word like volta or caesura? Jump to its letter. Writing a poem and wondering what to try next? Browse a letter at random and let a term set you a challenge. Each definition is short on purpose: enough to understand the idea, brief enough to send you back to the poems. For full lessons with examples, exercises and quizzes, the Writory Academy goes deeper on every major topic, and our Writing Tips and Tools page collects quick, practical advice.
Missing a term you searched for? Suggest it, we keep adding.
Also in the Library
Enter the October poetry contest