What Is the Segol Trope?
Segol (Hebrew סְגוֹל, "bunch" — as in a bunch of grapes), also called Segolta, is a disjunctive cantillation mark in the Torah-reading system. It signals a pause, marking the end of the first of the three main segments of a long verse.
סְגוֹל (Segol); disjunctive form סְגוֹלְתָּא (Segolta)
Disjunctive (pausal) accentWhat it does in the verse
Segol is a disjunctive (pausal) accent, so it tells the reader to pause and separate, not to connect words. In the traditional "imperial" ranking it is a second-level disjunctive — a "King" — standing just below the top-level "Emperors," sof passuk and etnachta. (Some sources number it differently depending on the classification scheme, but its role is the same.) Within a long verse it marks the end of the first of three main segments, while etnachta marks the end of the second. It is regularly preceded by Zarka, and may be preceded by one or two conjunctive Munachs (meshartim), giving the characteristic pattern Munach–Zarka–Munach–Segol.
What the symbol looks like
The Segol symbol is a cluster of three dots arranged in a small triangle resembling a bunch of grapes, placed ABOVE the word (Unicode U+0592 HEBREW ACCENT SEGOL, e.g. ב֒). It is a postpositive accent, meaning the sign is written at the end of the word rather than over the stressed syllable, so it does not tell you where the musical stress falls. Do not confuse it with the segol vowel point, which is three dots written BELOW a consonant and marks a vowel sound, not a chant.
Good to know
Segol is moderately common rather than rare: per Wikipedia's count it appears 368 times in the Torah, 181 times in Nevi'im (Prophets), and 173 times in Ketuvim (Writings). Its name, "bunch" of grapes, is mirrored in the three-dot, grape-cluster shape of its symbol. Segol has a close partner in Zarka, which almost always comes right before it (there is a rare documented exception). It also has a striking relative: when a Segol clause would stand entirely on its own, the Segol is replaced by Shalshelet, one of the rarest marks in the Torah, occurring only four times — so Shalshelet can be thought of as a "stand-alone Segol." With TropeTrainer you can hear Segol chanted and practice the actual readings in which it appears.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Segol trope?
Segol (Segolta) is a disjunctive cantillation mark used in Torah reading. It signals a pause and marks the end of the first of the three main segments of a long verse. In the traditional ranking it is a second-level disjunctive, a 'King,' just below the top marks sof passuk and etnachta. With TropeTrainer you can hear Segol chanted and practice the readings where it appears.
What does Segol mean?
The Hebrew word סְגוֹל (Segol) means 'bunch,' specifically a bunch of grapes. The name matches the symbol's shape: three dots clustered in a small triangle that looks like a grape bunch. Its fuller disjunctive name is Segolta (סְגוֹלְתָּא).
Is Segol a pause?
Yes. Segol is a disjunctive (pausal) accent, meaning it separates words rather than joining them. It marks a significant pause — the end of the first main segment of a long verse — second only in strength to the top-level marks sof passuk and etnachta.
How do I tell the Segol trope apart from the segol vowel?
The Segol cantillation mark is three dots placed ABOVE the word and tells you how to chant and pause. The segol vowel point is three dots placed BELOW a consonant and tells you a vowel sound. Same name, different signs in different positions. TropeTrainer plays the cantillation Segol so you can learn it by ear.
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