Acrostic

Acrostic meaning

What is an acrostic? Here's a preliminary definition to get us started.

It's challenging to offer a one-size-fits-all definition for the acrostic because it can take many different forms. Let's look in more detail at key variations and examples to help us understand them.

Acrostic examples

Not all acrostics are created equal! Let's look at examples of four of the most common variations in more detail.

Conventional

You'll be most familiar with the version in which the first letter of each line forms a word. For example:

As you can see, the first letter of each of these lines adds up to spell the word 'sun'.

Telestich

A telestich occurs when the acrostic takes place on the last letters of a line. For example:

The final letters here make the acrostic 'food'. In a telastich, it can be helpful if the lines are roughly the same length. This helps the last letters of the verse line up, improving the visual effect of the technique.

Double acrostic

In this unconventional version of the acrostic, the first and last letters of each line make a word. Think of the double acrostic as a combination of the conventional acrostic and the telestich. Usually, both sides consist of the same word. For example:

That was a tough one! You can see why the double acrostic is a challenging poem to master. Once again, keeping lines to a similar length helps make the visual effect of the acrostic more striking.

Abecedarius

The abecedarius (also known as the abecedarian) is a unique type of acrostic in which each word or line begins with letters of the alphabet in order. Here's an example:

As you can see, the first four letters of the alphabet are listed here in alphabetical order. Of course, many poets don't stop there, and many longer verses continue this pattern for the entire alphabet!

Acrostic usage

The acrostic has been used used for a variety of purposes across history. Let's look in more detail at some of the

Memorability

Acrostics are ca. Writers and poets who want their audience to remember a certain passage may include acrostics to create a more memorable verse. Perhaps this is why abecedarius was common in religious texts like the Hebrew Bible; some verses, like Psalm 145, were recited three times each day in Jewish services, meaning that having a recognisable, memorable text may have been necessary.

Hidden messages

Some authors and poets choose to encode hidden messages within their work. It could be a secret message, some additional information, or the key to the entire plot. For example, Vladimir Nabokov's (1899-1977) short story 'The Vane Sisters' (1951) contains the message 'Icicles by Cynthia; Meter from me, Sybil'. While it may initially seem unusual, this acrostic is actually a vital tool for those attempting to interpret the cryptic story.

Authorship

In medieval times, acrostics were occasionally used as a tool for authors to sign their work. Some poets would put their name in acrostic form in the first lines of their verse. German narrative poet Rudolf von Ems (1200-54) was well-known for this technique.

Acrostic poem

Let's look at some examples of poetry containing acrostics!

Edgar Allan Poe's 'An Acrostic' (1829)

This is an example of a conventional acrostic. The first letter of every line spells out the word 'Elizabeth'.

This poem was never published in Poe's lifetime. Instead, it was discovered and included in a posthumous 1911 anthology of his work. The acrostic is likely a tribute to Poe's cousin Elizabeth Rebecca Herring. It's also believed that 'L.E.L' refers to Letitia Elizabeth Landon, a poet who famously signed her initials on all her work.

Fig 1. - Edgar Allan Poe is the poet behind 'An Acrostic'.

Geoffrey Chaucer's 'La Priere de Nostre Dame' (1369)

This piece by Chaucer (c. 1343-1400) is an example of an abecedarian poem.

Whereas some poets prefer to start a new thought with each new letter of the alphabet, Greenbaum takes the traditional abecedarian format and blends it with enjambment. The jump from one letter to the next feels natural, creating a poem that flows effortlessly.

Acrostic poem template

Structuring your own acrostic is easy! Simply take a lined page and draw the starting letters of your acrostic on the left-hand side. Then, fill in the rest of your phrases, ensuring each sentence starts with the correct letter. Here's a simple acrostic we made for you to use as inspiration.

Fig 2. Making an acrostic is a fun, challenging way to give your brain a workout. Try it for yourself!

Remember to try and make your word relevant to the content of your poem. For example, suppose we were using the above 'Study Smarter' example as our acrostic, we'd write a poem about all of the high-quality free articles, study materials, and learning tools available to you on our website and in the app!