Long meter checker
Shape a four-line hymn stanza against 8 · 8 · 8 · 8 iambic tetrameter. Same syllable and stress engine as the lyriic poetry editor — private in your browser.
Adjust syllables and stress until each line lands.
Draft
- 7/8
−1
- 8/8
Matches
- 8/8
Matches
- 8/8
Matches
lyriic targets eight syllables per line with an iambic (weak–strong) contour, cycling 8 / 8 across a four-line stanza. Real hymns may stretch “heavenly,” drop a syllable in singing, or substitute a foot — mismatches are feedback, not a claim that every line must be perfectly regular.
A short history
Long metre (L.M. or LM) is the hymn-book name for a quatrain of iambic tetrameter: four lines of eight syllables, often written 8.8.8.8. The label sits beside common metre (8.6.8.6) and short metre in metrical indexes so a text can be paired with any fitting tune.
English hymnody and metrical psalms made the form familiar. William Kethe’s paraphrase of Psalm 100 (“All people that on earth do dwell”), sung to Old Hundredth, and later long-meter hymns by writers such as Isaac Watts and Thomas Ken, kept the even eight-syllable lines in active use.
In teaching contexts the rhythm is four rising iambs per line (da-DUM × 4). Hymnals often expect an ABAB or similar rhyme, but the meter mark itself names syllable shape first — which is what lets many L.M. texts share one tune.
Famous poems
All People That on Earth Do Dwell — William Kethe
All people that on earth do dwell, / Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Metrical Psalm 100 from the Anglo-Genevan Psalter (1561); classic L.M. text usually sung to Old Hundredth.
Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow — Thomas Ken
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
The Common Doxology (1674); a single long-meter stanza often sung to Old Hundredth.
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross — Isaac Watts
When I survey the wondrous cross
Good Friday hymn in long metre; frequently cited in hymnals as L.M. (8.8.8.8).
From All That Dwell Below the Skies — Isaac Watts
From all that dwell below the skies
Psalm 117 paraphrase in long metre; often closed with Ken’s doxology stanza.
Long meter (8 · 8 · 8 · 8)
Long meter (L.M.) is a hymn quatrain of four eight-syllable lines — 8.8.8.8 — in iambic tetrameter. Each line expects four rising feet (da-DUM × 4), with strong beats on positions 2, 4, 6, and 8.
In the lyriic catalog the cycle is stored as 8 / 8 and repeats across the four stanza lines, matching hymnal L.M. Homogeneous eights distinguish it from common meter (8 / 6) and short meter.
When stress-aware checking is on, lyriic compares dictionary stress to that iambic contour line by line. Rhyme and tune choice stay yours.
Iamb (da-DUM)
An iamb is a two-syllable foot with a light beat then a strong one: da-DUM. Everyday words such as “today,” “because,” and “away” often fall into that shape.
Stack iambs and you get iambic meter. Three feet make trimeter (six syllables), four make tetrameter (eight), five make pentameter (ten)—the backbone of blank verse, sonnets, and much English lyric.
When stress-aware checking is on, lyriic marks the expected weak–strong pairs from dictionary stress and compares them to the meter’s contour. Real speech bends the ideal; the marks show the target pattern, not a claim that every poem must be perfectly regular.
Iambic stress pattern (8 / 8)
Long meter is paired eight-syllable iambic lines. Each line expects four da-DUM feet: strong beats on positions 2, 4, 6, and 8.
With the stress pack loaded, lyriic marks that 8 / 8 iambic contour for the hymn stanza cycle.
Notes on this form
lyriic does not enforce hymn rhyme schemes (ABAB, AABB, and so on) or tune pairing. Doubled long metre (L.M.D., eight lines of eight) is out of scope for this checker.
Common questions
- What is long meter (L.M.)?
- Long meter is a four-line hymn stanza of eight syllables each — 8.8.8.8 — usually in iambic tetrameter (da-DUM × 4). Hymnals abbreviate it L.M. or LM so texts can share tunes like Old Hundredth.
- How is long meter different from common meter?
- Common meter alternates eight- and six-syllable lines (8.6.8.6). Long meter keeps eight syllables on every line (8.8.8.8). Both are typically iambic; lyriic checks syllables and stress, not rhyme.
- Is my draft uploaded?
- No. Syllable and stress checks run locally in your browser. lyriic is local-first and does not require an account.