How to Write a Cinquain

Five-Lined Poetry

© Elizabeth Yetter

Nov 3, 2006

Cinquain, pronounced sin-cane, is a non-rhyming five-lined poem.While teachers have sometimes adapted the cinquain to meet certain subject requirements, the basic form of the cinquain follows a pattern of syllables.

Line 1 is the topic of the cinquain, usually a noun. It can be either a two-syllable word or two single syllable word.

Line 2 is four syllables that describe the topic. Adjectives.

Line 3 is six syllables that show action. Action verbs.

Line 4 is eight syllables. This line can be a sentence or words that express feeling.

Line 5, the final line, is two syllables. It can be a synonym for the topic or a word that sums up the cinquain.

Here is an example of a cinquain that follows the syllable pattern:

Pumpkin (2 syllables)

Orange and grinning (4 syllables)

Sitting on the porch steps (6 syllables)

I wish you could stay forever (8 syllables)

Jack-O (2 syllables)

Another way to write a cinquain is by word count. Line 1 has one word (topic), line 2 two words (adjectives), line 3 three words (action verbs), line 4 four words (express feeling), and line 5 has one word that sums up the topic.

Here is an example of a cinquain that follows a word count:

Soda (1 word)

Sweet, cold (2 words)

Fizzing in can (3 words)

I can’t get enough (4 words)

Pop (1 word)

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