Metre vs Time Signature

Side-by-side comparison of two musical terms.

	Metre	Time Signature
Definition	The recurring pattern of strong and weak beats that organises music into regular groups.	A notational convention indicating how many beats are in each bar and which note value gets one beat
Category	rhythm	rhythm
Pronunciation	/ˈmiːtə/	TYM SIG-nah-chur
Origin	Greek (metron, measure)	English
BPM	—	—
Synonyms	meter (US)metric pattern	metre meter
Antonyms	free rhythm unmeasured	—
Usage	The waltz is defined by its triple metre — three beats per bar with a strong emphasis on the first.	The time signature changes from 4/4 to 7/8 in the bridge, wrong-footing the listener with an asymmetric groove.

Definition: The recurring pattern of strong and weak beats that organises music into regular groups.
Category: rhythm
Pronunciation: /ˈmiːtə/
Origin: Greek (metron, measure)
Synonyms: meter (US)metric pattern
Antonyms: free rhythm unmeasured
Usage: The waltz is defined by its triple metre — three beats per bar with a strong emphasis on the first.

Definition: A notational convention indicating how many beats are in each bar and which note value gets one beat
Category: rhythm
Pronunciation: TYM SIG-nah-chur
Origin: English
Synonyms: metre meter
Usage: The time signature changes from 4/4 to 7/8 in the bridge, wrong-footing the listener with an asymmetric groove.