English Syllables and Stress Patterns
Syllables and stress are two of the main areas of spoken language. Pronouncing words with the stress on the correct syllables will help you improve your spoken English, make your sentences easier to understand and help you sound more like a native speaker.
English syllables are stress-timed. English is classed as a ‘stress-based’ language, which means the meanings of words can be altered significantly by a change in word stress and sentence stress. This is why it is important to learn how to use word stress in English and develop an understanding of sentence stress and English stress patterns.
The English language is heavily stressed with each word divided into syllables. Here are some examples of English words with different numbers of syllables. These sets of words are followed by a series of examples using the correct stress placement:
Words with one syllable
The, cold, quite, bed, add, start, hope, clean, trade, green, chair, cat, sign, pea, wish, drive, plant, square, give, wait, law, off, hear, trough, eat, rough, trout, shine, watch, for, out, catch, flight, rain, speech, crab, lion, knot, fixed, slope, reach, trade, light, moon, wash, trend, balm, walk, sew, joke, tribe, brooch
Words with two syllables
Party, special, today, quiet, orange, partner, table, demand, power, retrieve, doctor, engine, diet, transcribe, contain, cabbage, mountain, humour, defend, spatial, special, greedy, exchange, manage, carpet, although, trophy, insist, tremble, balloon, healthy, shower, verbal, business, mortgage, fashion, hover, butcher, magic, broken
Words with three syllables
Fantastic, energy, expensive, wonderful, laughable, badminton, idiot, celery, beautiful, aggression, computer, journalist, horrify, gravity, temptation, dieting, trampoline, industry, financial, distinguished, however, tremendous, justify, inflation, creation, injustice, energise, glittering, tangible, mentalise, laughable, dialect, crustacean, origin
Words with four syllables
Understanding, indecisive, conversation, realistic, moisturising, American, psychology, gregarious, independence, affordable, memorandum, controversial, superior, gymnasium, entrepreneur, traditional, transformation, remembering, establishment, vegetation, affectionate, acupuncture, invertebrate
Words with five syllables
Organisation, uncontrollable, inspirational, misunderstanding, conversational, opinionated, biological, subordination, determination, sensationalist, refrigerator, haberdashery, hospitality, conservatory, procrastination, disobedience, electrifying, consideration, apologetic, particularly, compartmentalise, hypochondria
Words with six syllables
Responsibility, idiosyncratic, discriminatory, invisibility, capitalisation, extraterrestrial, reliability, autobiography, unimaginable, characteristically, superiority, antibacterial, disciplinarian, environmentalist, materialism, biodiversity, criminalisation, imaginatively, disobediently
Words with seven syllables
Industrialisation, multiculturalism, interdisciplinary, radioactivity, unidentifiable, environmentalism, individuality, vegetarianism, unsatisfactorily, electrocardiogram
English Stress Patterns
When thinking about syllables and stress in English, usually we find that one syllable of a word is stressed more than the others. There are always one or more stressed syllables within a word and this special stress placement helps words and sentences develop their own rhythm.
Syllables and stress patterns in English help to create the sounds, pronunciations and rhythms that we hear all around us.
Word Stress in English
We come to recognise these English syllables and stress patterns in conversations in real life interactions and on the radio and television. Using the correct stressed syllables within a word is an important part of speech and understanding.
Pronouncing words with the right word stress will make your language sound more natural to native speakers. Here are some words from the previous lists with the stressed syllable in bold:
Two syllable words stress patterns:
Quiet, party, special, today, orange, partner, table, demand, power, retrieve, engine, diet, greedy, exchange, manage, carpet, although, relax, comfort
Three syllable words stress patterns:
Fantastic, energy, expensive, aggresion, wonderful, laughable, badminton, celery, temptation, trampoline, industry, dintinguished, financial, however, tremendous, library
Four syllable words stress patterns:
Understanding, indecisive, conversation, realistic, moisturising, American, psychology, independence, entrepreneur, transformation, fascinating, comfortable
Five syllable words stress patterns:
Uncontrollable, inspirational, misunderstanding, conversational, opinionated, biological, alphabetical, subordination, refrigerator, haberdashery, hospitality
Six syllable words stress patterns:
Responsibility, idiosyncratic, invisibility, capitalisation, discriminatory or discriminatory, antibacterial, superiority, autobiography, materialism, biodiversity, criminalisation, imaginatively,
Seven syllable words stress patterns:
Industrialisation, multiculturalism, interdisciplinary, radioactivity, unidentifiable, environmentalism, individuality, vegetarianism, unsatisfactorily, electrocardiogram
Syllables and Stress Patterns in English Speech
Using clear syllables and stress patterns is an important part of speech. The correct word stress in English is crucial for understanding a word quickly and accurately.
Even if you cannot hear a word well and are not familiar with the context, you can often still work out what the word is, simply from listening to which syllable is stressed.
In the same way, if a learner pronounces a word differently from the accepted norm, it can be hard for a native speaker to understand the word. The word or sentence might be grammatically correct, but if they have used the wrong (or an unexpected) stress pattern or the wrong stressed syllables, it could make it unintelligible to a native.
Learning a language is all about communication and being able to make yourself understood. This is why syllables and stress patterns in spoken English are so important.
English Word Stress Rules
Here are some general rules about word stress in English:
- Only vowel sounds are stressed (a,e,i,o,u).
- A general rule is that for two syllable words, nouns and adjectives have the stress on the first syllable, but verbs have the stress on the second syllable.
For example: table (noun), special (adjective), demand (verb).
- Words ending in ‘ic’, ‘tion’ or ‘sion’ always place their stress on the penultimate (second to last) syllable. (e.g. supersonic, Atlantic, dedication, attention, transformation, comprehension).
- Words ending in ‘cy’, ‘ty’, ‘gy’ and ‘al’ always place their stress on the third from last syllable. (e.g. accountancy, sincerity, chronology, inspirational, hypothetical).
- Words ending in ‘sm’ with 3 or fewer syllables have their stress on the first syllable (e.g. prism, schism, autism, botulism, sarcasm) unless they are extensions of a stem word. This is often the case with words ending ‘ism’.
- Words ending in ‘ism’ tend to follow the stress rule for the stem word with the ‘ism’ tagged onto the end (e.g. cannibal = cannibalism, expression = expressionism, feminist = feminism, opportunist = opportunism).
- Words ending in ‘sm’ with 4 or more syllables tend to have their stress on the second syllable (e.g. enthusiasm, metabolism).
Words ending in ‘ous’
- Words ending in ‘ous’ with 2 syllables have their stress on the first syllable (e.g. monstrous, pious, anxious, pompous, zealous, conscious, famous, gracious, gorgeous, jealous, joyous).
- English words ending in ‘ous’ with 4 syllables usually have their stress on the second syllable (e.g. gregarious, anonymous, superfluous, androgynous, carnivorous, tempestuous, luxurious, hilarious, continuous, conspicuous). There are some exceptions using different stressed syllables, such as sacrilegious, which stresses the 3rd syllable.
Words ending in ‘ous’ with 3 or more syllables do not always follow a set stress pattern. Here are some common English words with 3 syllables ending in ‘ous’ and their stress placement:
Words ending in ‘ous’ with stress on first syllable
fabulous, frivolous, glamorous, calculus, dubious, envious, scandalous, serious, tenuous, chivalrous, dangerous, furious
Words ending in ‘ous’ with stress on second syllable
enormous, audacious, facetious, disastrous, ficticious, horrendous, contagious, ambitious, courageous
Stress can changing the meaning of a word
Remember, where we place the stress in English can change the meaning of a word. This can lead to some funny misunderstandings – and some frustrating conversations!
Words that have the same spelling but a different pronunciation and meaning are called heteronyms. Here are a few examples of words where the stressed syllable changes the meaning of the word:
- Object
The word ‘object’ is an example of an English word that can change meaning depending on which syllable is stressed. When the word is pronounced ‘object’ (with a stress on the first syllable) the word is a noun meaning an ‘item’, ‘purpose’ or ‘person/thing that is the focus’ of a sentence.
For example:
-
- She handed the lady a rectangular object made of metal
- He was the object of the dog’s affection
- The ring was an object of high value
- The object of the interview was to find the best candidate for the job
- The object was small and shiny – it could have been a diamond ring!
But if the same word is pronounced ‘object‘ (with the stress on the second syllable) the word is now a verb, meaning ‘to disagree with’ something or someone.
For example:
-
- They object to his constant lateness
- The man objected to the size of his neighbour’s new conservatory
- She strongly objects to being called a liar
- We object to the buildings being demolished
- No one objected to the proposal for more traffic lights
- Present
When the word ‘present’ is pronounced ‘present’ (with the stress on the first syllable) the word is a noun meaning ‘a gift’ or an adjective meaning ‘here / not absent’.
For example:
-
- She handed him a beautifully wrapped present
- The book was a present from their grandparents
- Everyone was present at the meeting
But when the word is pronounced ‘present’ (with the stress on the second syllable) the word is now a verb meaning ‘to introduce’ something or someone, ‘to show’ or ‘to bring to one’s attention’. It can also be used when talking about presenting a TV or radio show (i.e. to be a ‘presenter’).
For example:
-
- May I present Charlotte Smith, our new store manager
- Bruce Forsyth used to present ‘Strictly Come Dancing’
- I’d like to present my research on the breeding habits of frogs
- They presented the glittering trophy to the winner
- She was presented with the Oscar
- This new situation presents a problem
- Project
Another example of an English word changing meaning depending on where you place the stress is the word ‘project’. This can be the noun when the stressed syllable is at the start – ‘project’ (a task).
For example:
-
- They started work on the research project immediately
- She looked forward to her next project – repainting the house
- He enjoyed writing restaurant reviews – it was his current passion project
However, this word becomes a verb when the stressed syllables moves to the end – ‘to project‘ (to throw/launch, to protrude, to cause an image to appear on a surface, or to come across/make an impression).
For example:
-
- The object was projected into the air at high velocity
- The film will be projected onto the screen
- The chimney projects 3 metres from the roof
- She always projects herself with confidence
Stress patterns in compound words
Compound words are single words made up of two distinct parts. They are sometimes hyphenated. Here are examples of stress patterns in compound words in English:
- Compound nouns have the stress on the first part: e.g. sugarcane, beetroot, henhouse, tripwire, lighthouse, newspaper, porthole, roundabout, willpower
- Compound adjectives and verbs have the stress on the second part:
e.g. wholehearted, green-fingered, old-fashioned, to understand, to inform, to short-change, to overtake
English sentence stress
Once you understand word stress in English, you need to think about sentence stress. This means deciding which words to stress as part of the sentence as a whole. Stressed syllables can create a distinctive, rhythmic pattern within a sentence. This is how English stress patterns are related to the rhythm of English and help create the ‘music’ of a language.
English speakers tend to put stress on the most important words in a sentence in order to draw the listener’s attention to them. The most important words are the words that are necessary for the meaning of the sentence. Sentence stress is just as important as word stress for clarity. For example:
‘The cat sat on the mat while eating its favourite food’
The most important words here are: ‘cat’, ‘mat’, ‘eating’ and ‘food’. Even if you only hear those words, you would still be able to understand what is happening in the sentence simply from hearing which words are stressed.
Clearly, it is the nouns and verbs that are the most important parts of the sentence, as these are the ‘content words’ that help with meaning. Content words are usually stressed.
The adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions all add flavour to the sentence, but they are not absolutely necessary to understand the meaning. These ‘helper’ words are usually unstressed.
In our example sentence: ‘The cat sat on the mat while eating its favourite food’, we have already used the word ‘cat’ so we do not need to emphasise the word ‘its’ (or ‘he/she’ if you want to give the cat a gender), because we already know who is eating the food (i.e. the cat).
English word stress within a sentence
Stress patterns affect words and sentences in English.
The stress on a word (the word stress) is the emphasis placed on that word. In the sentence below, “I never said he ate your chocolate”, the stressed word will change the meaning or implication of the sentence:
Stressing the first word ‘I’ implies that I (the speaker) never said it. It might be true or it might not be true – the point is, I never said it – someone else did.
Stressing the second word ‘never’ emphasises that I never said it. There was never an occasion when I said it (whether it is true or not).
Stressing the third word ‘said’ means that I never said it. He might have eaten your chocolate, but I didn’t say it. I might have thought it, but I never said it out loud (I may only have implied it).
Stressing the fourth word ‘he’ means I didn’t say it was him that ate your chocolate, only that someone did.
Stressing the fifth word ‘ate’ means I didn’t say he had eaten it. Perhaps he took it and threw it away or did something else with it.
Stressing the sixth word ‘your’ means it wasn’t your chocolate he ate – it could have been someone else’s chocolate.
Stressing the seventh word ‘chocolate’ emphases that it was not your chocolate he ate – he ate something else belonging to you.
So the sentence stress in English makes all the difference to the meaning of the whole sentence. The stressed word in the sentence is the one we should pay the most attention to.
Stress placement affects the whole understanding of the English language. This issue is strongly related to the rhythm of English. Getting the right word stress, sentence stress and rhythm leads to the perfect communication of your intended message.
Stressed Vowel Sounds and Weak Vowels in English
The necessary words in an English sentence are stressed more by increasing the length and clarity of the vowel sound.
In contrast, the unnecessary words are stressed less by using a shorter and less clear vowel sound. This is called a ‘weak’ vowel sound.
In fact, sometimes the vowel sound is almost inaudible. For example, the letter ‘a’ in English is often reduced to a muffled ‘uh’ sound. Grammarians call this a ‘shwa’ or /ə/.
You can hear this ‘weak’ vowel sound at the start of the words ‘about’ and ‘attack’ and at the end of the word ‘banana’. They can sound like ‘ubout’, ‘uttack’ and ‘bananuh’ when spoken by a native English speaker. The article ‘a’ as a single word is also unstressed and reduced in this way to a weak ‘uh’ sound.
For example: ‘Is there a shop nearby?’ sounds like ‘Is there-uh shop nearby?’ This shwa can also be heard in other instances, such as in the word ‘and’ when it is used in a sentence. For example: ‘This book is for me and you’ can sound sound like ‘This book is for me un(d) you’.
The reason for this weak stress pattern in English is to help the rhythm and speed of speech. Using this weak ‘uh’ sound for the vowel ‘a’ helps the speaker get ready for the next stressed syllable by keeping the mouth and lips in a neutral position.
To pronounce the ‘a’ more clearly would require a greater opening of the mouth, which would slow the speaker down.
The giraffe on the right holds its mouth and lips in a neutral position, ready to speak again – image source
As English is a stress-timed language, the regular stresses are vital for the rhythm of the language, so the vowel sounds of unstressed words in English often get ‘lost’.
In contrast, syllable-timed languages (such as Spanish) tend to work in the opposite way, stressing the vowel sounds strongly, while the consonants get ‘lost’.
Click on the highlighted text to learn more about how English word stress and sentence stress relates to the rhythm of English and intonation in English.
What do you think about syllables and stress in English?
Do you find the syllables and stress patterns a difficult part of learning a new language?
Have you had any funny misunderstandings from stressing the wrong syllable in English? We’d love to hear your stories!
Are there any English words or sentences with odd stressed syllables or difficult stress patterns that you would like advice on?
Can you think of good way to remember or practise correct English word stress and sentence stress?
Do you have any ideas to help EFL students improve their understanding of syllables and stress?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments box.
3 syllable words in English can have the main stress on any syllable:
FIRST SYLLABLE: carnival /ˈkɑːnɪvᵊl/
SECOND SYLLABLE: delicious /dɪˈlɪʃəs/
THIRD SYLLABLE: engineer /ɛndʒɪˈnɪə/
It is not possible to tell from looking at a 3 syllable word, where the main stress will be. Examples of words with each stress pattern are:
First Syllable Stress
octopus /ˈɒktəpəs/
parliament /ˈpɑːləmənt/
somebody /ˈsʌmbədi/
following /ˈfɒləʊɪŋ/Second Syllable Stress
collision /kəˈlɪʒ(ə)n/
contagious /kənˈteɪdʒəs/
perfection /pəˈfɛkʃ(ə)n/
investor /ɪnˈvɛstə/Third Syllable Stress
employee /ɛmplɔɪˈiː/
understand /ʌndəˈstand/
Cantonese /kantəˈniːz/
volunteer /vɒlənˈtɪə/
Stress Shift
For words that have the main stress on the third syllable, the stress can shift to the first syllable in connected speech if there is a stress directly after it in the sentence:
Portuguese
He’s a Portuguese sailor.Volunteer
We need more volunteer vets.
English words have certain patterns of stress which you should observe strictly if you want to be understood. The best way to learn English stress is to listen to audio materials and to repeat them after the speaker. The links on the entrance pages of the sections Phonetics, Phrases, and Vocabulary lead to the sites that offer useful listening materials, including sounds, syllables, words, sentences, and conversations. An overview of typical English patterns of word stress in this material will help you to recognize and understand word stress when you work with listening materials. It will also be helpful to listen to examples of word stress in Listening for Word Stress (AmE) in the section Phonetics.
Note: Main stressed syllable in the word is indicated by capital letters in this material, for example, LEMon. In words with two stresses, capital letters with a stress mark before them show the syllable with primary stress, and small letters with a stress mark before them show the syllable with secondary stress, for example, ‘eco’NOMics.
General guidelines on word stress
Generally, common English nouns, adjectives, and adverbs are more often stressed on the first syllable than on any other syllable. Verbs with prefixes are usually stressed on the second syllable, i.e., on the first syllable of the root after the prefix. English words can’t have two unstressed syllables at the beginning of the word; one of these syllables will be stressed. If a word has four or more syllables, there are usually two stresses in it: primary stress (strong stress) and secondary stress (weak stress). Also, secondary stress may be present (in addition to primary stress) in shorter words in the syllable in which the vowel sound remains long and strong.
Prefixes are often stressed in nouns and less often in verbs. Suffixes at the end of the word are rarely stressed, except for a few noun, adjective, and verb suffixes that are usually stressed: rooMETTE, ‘ciga’RETTE / ‘CIGa’rette, Chi’NESE, ‘SIGni’fy, ‘ORga’nize, ‘DECo’rate. In longer derivative words, stress may fall on a suffix or prefix according to typical patterns of word stress. Endings are not stressed.
Stress in derivatives
Stress in a derivative may remain the same as in the word from which it was derived, or it may change in a certain way. When nouns are formed from verbs, or verbs are formed from nouns, the following patterns of stress often occur.
The same stress:
deNY (verb) – deNIal (noun)
ofFEND (verb) – ofFENCE (noun)
reVIEW (noun) – reVIEW (verb)
PREview (noun) – PREview (verb)
HOSpital (noun) – HOSpitalize (verb)
Shift of stress:
preSENT (verb) – PRESent (noun)
reFER (verb) – REFerence (noun)
exTRACT (verb) – EXtract (noun)
inCREASE (verb) – INcrease (noun)
OBject (noun) – obJECT (verb)
Other parts of speech derived from nouns and verbs have the following typical patterns of stress.
Adjectives are usually stressed on the first syllable or repeat the stress of the nouns from which they were derived: fate (noun) – FATal (adj.); COLor (noun) – COLorful (adj.). But stress may change in longer derivative adjectives: METal (noun) – meTALlic (adj.); ATHlete (noun) – athLETic (adj.); geOLogy (noun) – ‘geo’LOGical (adj.); ARgument (noun) – ‘argu’MENtative (adj.).
Adverbs are usually stressed on the first syllable or repeat the stress of the adjectives from which they were derived: ANgry – ANgrily; WONderful – WONderfully; FOOLish – FOOLishly; athLETic – athLETically.
Gerunds and participles repeat the stress of the verbs from which they were formed: forGET – forGETting – forGOTten; CANcel – CANceling – CANceled; ‘ORga’nize – ‘ORga’nizing – ORganized.
Typical patterns of stress
Let’s look at typical examples of stress in English words. Main factors that influence stress are the number of syllables in the word, and whether the word is a noun, an adjective, or a verb.
ONE-SYLLABLE WORDS
One-syllable nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are stressed on the vowel sound in the word. Note that a diphthong is one complex vowel sound that forms only one syllable. A diphthong is stressed on its first main component.
book, cat, rain, boat, crow, chair
read, burn, touch, choose, laugh, hear
new, bright, large, short, clear, loud
late, fast, soon, now
TWO-SYLLABLE WORDS
Two-syllable nouns
Two-syllable nouns are usually stressed on the first syllable.
TEACHer, STUDent, CARpet, LESson
REgion, ILLness, STATEment, CITy
CONvict, INcrease, INstinct, OBject
PERmit, PRESent, PROject, SYMbol
Nouns may be stressed on the last syllable if there is a long vowel sound or a diphthong in it. Words of foreign origin (especially words of French origin) may be stressed on the last syllable.
trainEE, caREER, deLAY, conCERN
poLICE, hoTEL, beRET, rooMETTE
Two-syllable adjectives
Two-syllable adjectives are usually stressed on the first syllable.
FUNny, LOCal, USEful
FOOLish, NATive, CAREless
Some adjectives are stressed on the last syllable if there is a long vowel sound or a diphthong in it.
abSURD, comPLETE, exTREME, moROSE
If there is a prefix in an adjective, stress often falls on the first syllable of the root after the prefix.
inSANE, imMUNE, enGAged
unWELL, unKNOWN
Two-syllable verbs
Two-syllable verbs are usually stressed on the second syllable, especially if the first syllable is a prefix.
adMIT, apPLY, beGIN, beLIEVE
comBINE, conFIRM, deNY, deSERVE
disLIKE, misPLACE, exPLAIN
forBID, forGET, igNORE, inVITE
oBEY, ocCUR, perMIT, prePARE
proPOSE, purSUE, reCEIVE, rePLY
supPLY, surPRISE, unDO, unLOCK
But there are many verbs that are stressed on the first syllable.
HAPpen, CANcel, PRACtice
ANswer, OFfer, MENtion
FOLlow, BORrow, PUNish
THREE-SYLLABLE WORDS
Three-syllable nouns
Three-syllable nouns are usually stressed on the first syllable.
POLitics, GOVernment, GENeral
INterest, GRADuate, CONfidence
But many nouns, especially those derived from verbs with prefixes, have stress on the second syllable.
apPROVal, conFUSion, conSUMer
corRECTness, eLECtion, diRECtor
Some nouns have primary stress on the last syllable if there is a long vowel sound or a diphthong in it.
‘engi’NEER, ‘refu’GEE
Three-syllable adjectives
Three-syllable adjectives are usually stressed on the first syllable.
GENeral, DELicate, EXcellent
WONderful, FAVorite, CURious
Some adjectives have one more stress on the last syllable if there is a long vowel or a diphthong in it.
‘OBso’lete / ‘obso’LETE
‘Vietna’MESE, ‘Portu’GUESE
Some adjectives do not repeat the stress of the noun from which they were derived and are stressed on the second syllable.
geNERic, symBOLic, inSTINCtive
Three-syllable verbs
Three-syllable verbs often have primary stress on the first syllable (even if it is a prefix) and secondary stress on the last syllable (which is often a verb suffix).
‘ORga’nize, ‘MODer’nize
‘SIGni’fy, ‘SPECi’fy
‘COMpen’sate, ‘DECo’rate
‘COMpli’ment, ‘CONsti’tute
But many verbs, especially those with prefixes, have stress on the second syllable.
conTINue, conSIDer, reMEMber
If the prefix consists of two syllables, its first syllable usually gets secondary stress.
‘under’STAND, ‘decom’POSE
‘contra’DICT, ‘corre’SPOND
FOUR OR MORE SYLLABLES
Long nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs usually have two stresses: primary stress and secondary stress. But there are some long words with only one stress. There are four patterns of stress in long words.
Only one stress: on the first syllable
Nouns:
ACcuracy, DELicacy
Adjectives:
INteresting
Only one stress: on the second syllable
Nouns:
inTOLerance, geOMetry, aMERica
simPLICity, moBILity, teLEpathy
acCOMpaniment
Adjectives:
sigNIFicant, mysTErious, traDItional
inTOLerable, unREAsonable, noTOrious
Verbs:
acCOMpany
Two stresses: on the first and third syllable
This is a very common stress pattern in long words in English.
Nouns:
‘eco’NOMics, ‘infor’MAtion
‘consti’TUtion, ‘repe’TItion
‘coloni’ZAtion, ‘multipli’CAtion
Adjectives:
‘aca’DEMic, ‘geo’METrical
‘inter’NAtional, ‘cosmo’POLitan
‘capita’LIStic, ‘conver’SAtional
‘PAtro’nizing
Two stresses: on the second and fourth syllable
Nouns:
con’side’RAtion
in’vesti’GAtion
con’tinu’Ation
Adjectives:
ex’peri’MENtal
in’compre’HENsible
Verbs:
i’DENti’fy, in’TENsi’fy
in’TOXi’cate, ac’CUmu’late
com’MERcia’lize, a’POLo’gize.
Ударение в слове
Английские слова имеют определённые модели ударения, которые нужно строго соблюдать, если вы хотите, чтобы вас понимали. Лучший способ изучить английское ударение – слушать аудиоматериалы и повторять их за диктором. Ссылки на входных страницах разделов Phonetics, Phrases и Vocabulary ведут на сайты, которые предлагают полезные материалы для прослушивания, включая звуки, слоги, слова, предложения и разговоры. Краткий обзор типичных английских моделей ударения в данном материале поможет вам узнавать и понимать ударение в словах, когда вы работаете с материалами для прослушивания. Также будет полезно прослушать примеры ударения в материале для прослушивания Listening for Word Stress (AmE) в разделе Phonetics.
Примечание: Главный ударный слог в слове указан заглавными буквами в данном материале, например, LEMon. В словах с двумя ударениями, заглавные буквы со значком ударения перед ними показывают слог с главным ударением, а маленькие буквы со значком ударения перед ними показывают слог с второстепенным ударением, например, ‘eco’NOMics.
Общие рекомендации по ударению в словах
В целом, употребительные английские существительные, прилагательные и наречия чаще ударяются на первом слоге, чем на любом другом слоге. Глаголы с приставками обычно имеют ударение на втором слоге, т.е. на первом слоге корня после приставки. Английские слова не могут иметь два неударных слога в начале слова; один из этих слогов будет ударным. Если в слове четыре или более слогов, то в нём обычно два ударения: главное ударение (сильное ударение) и второстепенное ударение (слабое ударение). Также, второстепенное ударение может присутствовать (в дополнение к главному ударению) в более коротких словах в слоге, в котором гласный звук остается долгим и сильным.
Приставки часто ударные в существительных и реже в глаголах. Суффиксы в конце слова редко ударные, за исключением нескольких суффиксов существительных, прилагательных и глаголов, которые обычно ударные: rooMETTE, ‘ciga’RETTE / ‘CIGa’rette, Chi’NESE, ‘SIGni’fy, ‘ORga’nize, ‘DECo’rate. В более длинных производных словах ударение может падать на приставку или суффикс согласно типичным моделям ударения в слове. Окончания не ударные.
Ударение в производных словах
Ударение в производном слове может остаться таким же, как в слове, от которого оно образовано, или оно может измениться определённым образом. Когда существительные образуются от глаголов, или глаголы образуются от существительных, часто возникают следующие модели ударения.
Одинаковое ударение:
deNY (глагол) – deNIal (существительное)
ofFEND (глагол) – ofFENCE (существительное)
reVIEW (сущ.) – reVIEW (глагол)
PREview (сущ.) – PREview (глагол)
HOSpital (сущ.) – HOSpitalize (глагол)
Смещение ударения:
preSENT (глагол) – PRESent (существительное)
reFER (глагол) – REFerence (сущ.)
exTRACT (глагол) – EXtract (сущ.)
inCREASE (глагол) – INcrease (сущ.)
OBject (сущ.) – obJECT (глагол)
Другие части речи, образованные от существительных и глаголов, имеют следующие типичные модели ударения.
Прилагательные обычно ударные на первом слоге или повторяют ударение существительных, от которых они были образованы: fate (сущ.) – FATal (прилаг.); COLor (сущ.) – COLorful (прилаг.). Но ударение может меняться в более длинных производных прилагательных: METal (сущ.) – meTALlic (прилаг.); ATHlete (сущ.) – athLETic (прилаг.); geOLogy (сущ.) – ‘geo’LOGical (прилаг.); ARgument (сущ.) – ‘argu’MENtative (прилаг.).
Наречия обычно ударные на первом слоге или повторяют ударение прилагательных, от которых они были образованы: ANgry – ANgrily; WONderful – WONderfully; FOOLish – FOOLishly; athLETic – athLETically.
Герундий и причастия повторяют ударение глаголов, от которых они были образованы: forGET (забывать) – forGETting – forGOTten; CANcel (отменять) – CANceling – CANceled; ‘ORga’nize (организовать) – ‘ORga’nizing – ORganized.
Типичные модели ударения
Давайте посмотрим на типичные примеры ударения в английских словах. Главные факторы, которые влияют на ударение – количество слогов в слове и является ли это слово существительным, прилагательным или глаголом.
ОДНОСЛОЖНЫЕ СЛОВА
Односложные существительные, глаголы, прилагательные и наречия имеют ударение на гласном звуке в слове. Обратите внимание, что дифтонг – это один сложный гласный звук, который образует только один слог. Дифтонг имеет ударение на своём первом главном компоненте.
книга, кот, дождь, лодка, ворона, стул
читать, гореть, трогать, выбрать, смеяться, слышать
новый, яркий, большой, короткий, ясный, громкий
поздний / поздно, быстрый / быстро, скоро, сейчас
ДВУСЛОЖНЫЕ СЛОВА
Двусложные существительные
Существительные из двух слогов обычно ударные на первом слоге.
учитель, студент, ковер, урок
район, болезнь, утверждение, город
осужденный, увеличение, инстинкт, предмет
пропуск, подарок, проект, символ
Существительные могут иметь ударение на последнем слоге, если в нём долгий гласный звук или дифтонг. Слова иностранного происхождения (особенно слова французского происхождения) могут иметь ударение на последнем слоге.
стажер, карьера, задержка, забота
полиция, гостиница, берет, одноместное купе
Двусложные прилагательные
Прилагательные из двух слогов обычно ударные на первом слоге.
смешной, местный, полезный
глупый, родной, беззаботный
Некоторые двусложные прилагательные могут иметь ударение на последнем слоге, если в нём долгий гласный звук или дифтонг.
абсурдный, полный, крайний, угрюмый
Если в прилагательном есть приставка, то ударение часто падает на первый слог корня после приставки.
безумный, имеющий иммунитет, занятый
нездоровый, неизвестный
Двусложные глаголы
Глаголы из двух слогов обычно ударные на втором слоге, особенно если первый слог – приставка.
допускать, применять, начинать, верить
соединять, подтвердить, отрицать, заслуживать
не любить, положить не на место, объяснять
запрещать, забывать, игнорировать, приглашать
подчиняться, возникать, разрешать, подготовить
предлагать, преследовать, получать, ответить
снабжать, удивлять, аннулировать, отпереть
Но есть много глаголов, которые имеют ударение на первом слоге.
случаться, отменить, практиковать
отвечать, предлагать, упоминать
следовать, заимствовать, наказывать
ТРЕХСЛОЖНЫЕ СЛОВА
Трехсложные существительные
Существительные из трёх слогов обычно имеют ударение на первом слоге.
политика, правительство, генерал
интерес, выпускник, уверенность
Но многие существительные, особенно образованные от глаголов с приставками, имеют ударение на втором слоге.
одобрение, замешательство, потребитель
правильность, избрание, директор
Некоторые существительные могут иметь главное ударение на последнем слоге, если в нём долгий гласный звук или дифтонг.
инженер, беженец
Трехсложные прилагательные
Прилагательные из трёх слогов обычно имеют ударение на первом слоге.
общий, деликатный, превосходный
чудесный, любимый, любопытный
Некоторые трёхсложные прилагательные имеют ещё одно ударение на последнем слоге, если в нём долгий гласный звук или дифтонг.
вышедший из употребления
вьетнамский, португальский
Некоторые прилагательные не повторяют ударение существительного, от которого они были образованы, и ударяются на втором слоге.
видовой, символический, инстинктивный
Трехсложные глаголы
Глаголы из трёх слогов часто имеют главное ударение на первом слоге (даже если это приставка) и второстепенное ударение на последнем слоге (который часто глагольный суффикс).
организовать, модернизировать
означать, уточнять
компенсировать, украшать
делать комплимент, составлять
Но многие глаголы, особенно те, которые с приставками, имеют ударение на втором слоге.
продолжать, рассмотреть, помнить
Если приставка состоит из двух слогов, её первый слог обычно получает второстепенное ударение.
понимать, разлагаться
противоречить, соответствовать
ЧЕТЫРЕ ИЛИ БОЛЕЕ СЛОГОВ
Длинные существительные, прилагательные, глаголы и наречия обычно имеют два ударения: главное и второстепенное ударение. Но есть некоторые длинные слова только с одним ударением. В длинных словах четыре модели ударения.
Только одно ударение: на первом слоге
Существительные:
точность, утончённость
Прилагательные:
интересный
Только одно ударение: на втором слоге
Существительные:
нетерпимость, геометрия, Америка
простота, мобильность, телепатия
аккомпанемент
Прилагательные:
значительный, таинственный, традиционный
невыносимый, неразумный, печально известный
Глаголы:
сопровождать
Два ударения: на первом и третьем слоге
Это очень распространённая модель ударения в длинных словах в английском языке.
Существительные:
экономика, информация
конституция, повторение
колонизация, умножение
Прилагательные:
академический, геометрический
международный, космополитический
капиталистический, разговорный
покровительственный
Два ударения: на втором и четвертом слоге
Существительные:
рассмотрение
расследование
продолжение
Прилагательные:
экспериментальный
непонятный / непостижимый
Глаголы:
идентифицировать, усиливать
опьянять, накапливать
превращать в источник прибыли, извиняться.
A useful list of 3 syllable words. They have been divided into 3 groups. Each group has its own stress pattern.
Why is this important? English is a stressed based language. Using the right stress pattern will help your English sound more natural and easier to understand.
3 Syllable Words with Stress on the First Syllable
Most three syllable words, including nouns, adjectives and verbs, are stressed on the first syllable. Three syllable words that end with the “-er”, “-or”, “-ly” or “-y” are generally stressed on the first syllable, e.g. HAM-bur-ger.
These 3 syllable words have a stress pattern of Ooo
Amateur
Badminton
Beautiful
Busier
Celery
Character
Energy
Fortunate
Gardener
General
Government
Hamburger
Industry,
Laughable
Library
Manager
Mystery
Operate
Organize
Perfectly
Physical
Popular
Quietly
Rational
Readily
Seasonal
Stunningly
Terrible
Video
/ˈæmətə(ː)/
/ˈbædmɪntən/
/ˈbjuːtəfʊl/
/ˈbɪzɪə/
/ˈsɛləri/
/ˈkærɪktə/
/ˈɛnəʤi/
/ˈfɔːʧnɪt/
/ˈgɑːdnə/
/ˈʤɛnərəl/
/ˈgʌvnmənt/
/ˈhæmbɜːgə/
/ˈɪndəstri/
/ˈlɑːfəbl/
/ˈlaɪbrəri/
/ˈmænɪʤə/
/ˈmɪstəri/
/ˈɒpəreɪt/
/ˈɔːgənaɪz/
/ˈpɜːfɪktli/
/ˈfɪzɪkəl/
/ˈpɒpjʊlə/
/ˈkwaɪətli/
/ˈræʃənl/
/ˈrɛdɪli/
/ˈsiːzənl/
/ˈstʌnɪŋli/
/ˈtɛrəbl/
/ˈvɪdɪəʊ/
3 Syllable Words with Stress on the Second Syllable
These 3 syllable words have a stress pattern of oOo
Agenda
Aggresion
Collision
Completely
Consider
Consistent
Contagious
Decided
Directly
Distinguished
Exactly
Example
Expensive
Fantastic
Forgetful
However
Iconic
Important
Investor
Mistaken
Nutrition
Perfection
Procedure
Temptation
Tremendous
Wonderful
/əˈʤɛndə/
/əˈgrɛʃ(ə)n/
/kəˈlɪʒən/
/kəmˈpliːtli/
/kənˈsɪdə/
/kənˈsɪstənt/
/kənˈteɪʤəs/
/dɪˈsaɪdɪd/
/dɪˈrɛktli/
/dɪsˈtɪŋgwɪʃt/
/ɪgˈzæktli/
/ɪgˈzɑːmpl/
/ɪksˈpɛnsɪv/
/fænˈtæstɪk/
/fəˈgɛtfʊl/
/haʊˈɛvə/
/aɪˈkɒnɪk/
/ɪmˈpɔːtənt/
/ɪnˈvɛstə/
/mɪsˈteɪkən/
/nju(ː)ˈtrɪʃən/
/pəˈfɛkʃən/
/prəˈsiːʤə/
/tɛmpˈteɪʃən/
/trɪˈmɛndəs/
/ˈwʌndəfʊl/
3 Syllable Words with Stress on the Final Syllable
These 3 syllable words have a stress pattern of ooO
Afternoon
Cantonese
Cigarette
Disagree
Employee
Engineer
Everyday
Guarantee
Japanese
Kangaroo
Recommend
Referee
Understand
Volunteer
/ˈɑːftəˈnuːn/
/ˌkæntəˈniːz/
/ˌsɪgəˈrɛt/
/ˌdɪsəˈgriː/
/ˌɛmplɔɪˈiː/
/ˌɛnʤɪˈnɪə/
/ˈɛvrɪdeɪ/
/ˌgærənˈtiː/
/ˌʤæpəˈniːz/
/ˌkæŋgəˈruː/
/ˌrɛkəˈmɛnd/
/ˌrɛfəˈriː/
/ˌʌndəˈstænd/
/ˌvɒlənˈtɪə/
Tagged With: 3-Syllable
Study long vs. short syllables and word stress while focusing on three-syllable words.
YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
In this American English pronunciation video, we’re going to go over word stress and three-syllable words.
In American English, any word can have only one syllable with primary stress. That means there are three possible stress patterns for a three syllable word: first syllable: DA-da-da, second syllable: da-DA-da, or third syllable: da-da-DA.
Let’s talk about what’s happening with these patterns. Basically, it’s a mix of long and short. The stressed syllables are long, and the unstressed syllables are short. I’ve noticed that my students that are Spanish speakers need to work on making their long syllables longer: DA. Pretty much everyone else needs to work making their short syllables shorter: da.
Let’s look at a couple of words for each category.
Stress on the first syllable: rational, DA-da-da. One way to practice as you’re working on word stress is to break up the syllables. Practice stressed and unstressed syllables separately. So, Rational. Ra, ra, the stressed syllable. Notice how the voice goes up then down in pitch. That’s the shape of a stressed syllable. Click here to see that video, or look for the link in the description. The unstressed syllables: da-da, tional. Ra-tional. Notice how it’s much quieter, lower in pitch, very fast. Maybe it even sounds a little muddled. -tional. As you practice unstressed syllables separately, see just how short you can get these syllables. Try to make them extremely fast. -tional. Rational.
Another word with this stress pattern: popular. DA-da-da, Popular. The stressed syllable, pop-, pop-. Unstressed: -ular. Again, very fast, low in pitch, quieter. -ular. Pop-ular. Popular.
Stress on the second syllable: da-DA-da. For example, the word ‘decided’. da-DA-da. De-ci-ded. The stressed syllable, -CI-. Unstressed first syllable: de-. Unstressed last syllable: -ded. Make them as short as possible. da-DA-da. Decided. Another word: Example, da-DA-da, example. Stressed syllable: -xam. Unstressed: ex-, and -ple. Example. da-DA-da. Example.
And finally, stressed on the last syllable, da-da-DA. Everyday. da-da-DA. The stressed syllable: -DAY. Unstressed syllables: every-, da-da, every-, da-da-DA, everyday.
Another word: eighty-one: da-da-DA. Stressed syllable: -ONE. Unstressed syllables: da-da, eighty. Eighty-one. da-da-DA. Eighty-one.
This concept of long and short, of rhythmic contrast, is part of the foundation of the character of American English. Why not practice on rhythm as you learn a new word? When you look a word up in the dictionary, this symbol means primary stress. Let’s say you’ve just learned the word ‘sensation’. You’ll look it up in the dictionary and see this. Stress on the middle syllable, sensation. So practice it on just rhythm a few times. da-DA-da, sensation.
Paying attention to rhythmic contrast will definitely help you sound more American. Practice now, choose a three-syllable word, and record yourself saying the rhythmic pattern, then the word. For example, da-DA-da, example. Post it as a video response to this video on YouTube. I can’t wait to see your rhythmic contrast.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
Video:
Words are made up of letters and those letters create syllable sounds. You can recognize a syllable by remembering that each one contains a vowel sound. For example, in the word computer, there are three syllables: com / pu / ter. The word bike, however, has only one syllable. A single syllable may contain as little as just one letter, or as many as five:
idea — i / de / a (three syllables)
cough — cough (one syllable)
In words that have more than one syllable, one syllable will be stressed. In English, there are a number of word syllable stress patterns.
Counting Syllables
You can check how many syllables a word has by putting your hand under your chin and saying a word. Each time your chin moves to make a vowel sound, count a syllable. For example, the word difficult moves your chin three times. Therefore, difficult is three syllables.
Exercise
Count the number of syllables in each of these words. Answers are below.
- house
- jacket
- glasses
- encyclopedia
- employer
- information
- troublemaker
- thought
- happy
- incoherent
Answers
- 1 (house)
- 2 (ja / ket)
- 2 (gla / sses)
- 6 (en / cy / clo / pe / di / a)
- 3 (em / ploy / er)
- 4 (in / for / ma / tion)
- 4 (trou / ble /ma / ker)
- 1 (thought)
- 2 (ha / ppy)
- 4 (in / co / her / ent)
Word Syllable Stress
In multi-syllable words, the stress falls on one of the syllables. The other syllables tend to be spoken quickly. This leads to sounds that are not clear (muted) on unstressed syllables. In order to improve your pronunciation, focus on pronouncing the stressed syllable clearly. However, don’t be afraid to mute (not say clearly) the other unstressed vowels.
For example:
Listen to these specific examples. Notice where the syllables are stressed:
- PersonNEL
- TOtally
- InDUstrial
- ToMAto
- FanTAstic
One Syllable — Stressed
All one-syllable words have the stress on the one syllable. The intonation should go down.
Listen to the general pattern.
- EAT
- DRINK
- SIGN
- WELL
Two-Syllable
First Syllable Stressed
Listen to the general pattern and these specific examples:
- GIant
- PICture
- HEAting
Second Syllable Stressed
Listen to the general pattern and these specific examples:
- toDAY
- aHEAD
- aLLOW
Three-Syllable
First Syllable Stressed
Listen to the general pattern and these specific examples:
- ENergy
- Operate
- ORganize
Second Syllable Stressed
Listen to the general pattern and these specific examples:
- meMORial
- aSSUMPtion
- caNAdian
Third Syllable Stressed
Listen to the general pattern and these specific examples:
- employEE
- japanESE
- voluntEER
Four-Syllable
Second Syllable Stressed
Listen to the general pattern and these specific examples:
- psyCHOLogy
- eVAporate
- cerTIficate
Third Syllable Stressed
Listen to the general pattern and these specific examples:
- poliTIcian
- indiVIdual
- repuTAtion
Double Vowel Sounds
It’s not the number of letters that make up a syllable, rather it is the number of single vowel sounds. Sometimes, a number of vowels combine to make just a single sound. For example:
tree = 1 sound
goal = 1 sound
because = 1 sound
Common Double Vowel Sounds
It’s important to learn spelling patterns for these sounds. Here are some of the most common:
ay — (diphthong EI sound) play, say, may
au — (long A sound) fault, launch, haunt
augh — (long A sound) caught, taught, daughter
augh — (short A sound as in «cat») laugh
ee — (long EE sound) tree, see, three
ea — (long EE sound) each, peach, teach
ea — (short E sound) dead, head, health
ea — (long EE sound) break, steak, great
eu — (long U sound) deuce, sleuth
ei — (diphthong EI sound) beil, eight, weigh
ey — (diphthong EI sound) they, grey
eigh — (diphthong EI sound) eight, freight
eigh — (long EE sound) seize
eigh — (diphthong AI sound) height
ie — (long EE sound) thief, pice
ie — (long I sound) die, tie
oo — (long U sound) moo, boo
oo — (short U sound) book, foot
oa — (long O sound) boat, moat
oe — (long O sound) hoe, Joe
oi — (diphthong OY sound) soil, toil
ou — (long O sound) soul, your
ou — (short U sound) tough, rough
ue — (long U sound) cue, muse
ui — (long U sound) fruit, juice
Schwa for Unstressed Syllables
Unstressed syllables keep the correct sound, but are muted. Sometimes, unstressed vowels become a schwa sound — like a soft uh sound.
Listen to these specific examples:
- Little
- Repeat
- Tomato
At other times, the vowel is pronounced but not stressed. Listen to these specific examples:
- Industrial
- Noisily
Generally speaking, stressed syllables retain a clear vowel sound, while unstressed syllables tend to soften towards a schwa-like sound.