What is "mercha"

Mercha (Hebrew: , also spelled Merkha and other variant English spellings) is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books that are chanted.

The mercha is found in several trope groups, though the melody varies from one use to the next. It is the beginning of the Etnachta group, can be found either once or twice preceding the Sof passuk, or can occasionally precede the Pashta in the Katon group or a Tevir.

The 9117 times Mercha is found in the Torah 9117 is the second most of any trope sounds. Only Tipcha occurs more often.

The Hebrew word מֵרְכָ֥א translates into English as comma.