What is a stressed and unstressed word

A stressed syllable is the part of a word that you say with greater emphasis than the other syllables. Alternatively, an unstressed syllable is a part of a word that you say with less emphasis than the stressed syllable(s). However, you don’t emphasize or deemphasize syllables using volume; instead, you use pitch.

How do you identify a stress mark?

A stressed syllable combines five features:

1. It is l-o-n-g-e-r – com p-u-ter.
2. It is LOUDER – comPUTer.
3. It has a change in pitch from the syllables coming before and afterwards.
4. It is said more clearly -The vowel sound is purer.
5. It uses larger facial movements – Look in the mirror when you say the word.

When a word has more than one syllable one of them is more stressed?

Word stress is the idea that in a word with more than one syllable, one (or more than one) syllable will be stressed or accented. And the rest will be unstressed, or, unaccented. Notice that I’m using the words ‘stress’ and ‘accent’ interchangeably.

How can I add stress?

The word present, for example is a two-syllable word. If we stress the first syllable, it is a noun (gift) or an adjective (opposite of absent). But if we stress the second syllable, it becomes a verb (to offer)….Word Stress Rules.

rule	examples
For compound adjectives, the stress is on the second part	bad-TEMpered old-FASHioned

Is Y considered a vowel?

Y is considered to be a vowel if… When y forms a diphthong—two vowel sounds joined in one syllable to form one speech sound, such as the “oy” in toy, “ay” in day, and “ey” in monkey—it is also regarded as a vowel. Typically, y represents a consonant when it starts off a word or syllable, as in yard, lawyer, or beyond.

Which vowels are strong in Spanish?

In Spanish, vowels are considered either strong or weak. The strong vowels, vocales fuertes, are /a/, /e/, /o/, or any accented vowel. The weak vowels, vocales debiles, are /i/ and /u/ when unaccented.

What letter does not exist in Spanish?

The Ñ is the only one that only exists in Spanish. The stressed vowels are not considered separate letters of the alphabet (they’re simply normal letters with an accent).

What is a Dipthong in Spanish?

A diphthong is a sound formed by two vowels in a single syllable. In Spanish, diphthongs can be formed by combining a strong vowel (a, e, or o) and a weak vowel (i or u), or by combining two weak vowels.

Why is there an H in Spanish?

If the h is silent, why does it exist? For reasons of etymology (word history) only. Just as the “k” in the English “know” and the “b” in “lamb” used to be audible, the Spanish h used to be pronounced ages ago. Almost all Spanish consonants have become softer over the years; the h became so soft as to become inaudible.

What letter sounds like an H in Spanish?

hache

Why is J pronounced as H in Spanish?

J in native Spanish words is /x/ or a hard H sound and the closest sound to English J is Y which is either /d͡ʒ/ or /ʝ/ depending on where in a word it is spoken.

Asked by: Sabryna Klein MD

Score: 4.2/5
(60 votes)

A stressed syllable is the part of a word that you say with greater emphasis than the other syllables. Alternatively, an unstressed syllable is a part of a word that you say with less emphasis than the stressed syllable(s). … Though emphasis (stress) and pitch (intonation) are different, they are connected.

What is the difference between stress and Unstress?

Energy: stressed syllables have more energy or power that comes from the diaphragm usually; unstressed syllables are weaker, less energetic. This also forms a noticeable contrast between syllables. Pitch: stressed syllables often land on a higher pitch or tone than unstressed syllables.

What is Unstress?

: a syllable having relatively weak stress or lacking in phonetic prominence.

What is stress and syllable?

Word stress is the idea that in a word with more than one syllable, one (or more than one) syllable will be stressed or accented. … Stressed or accented syllables will be higher in pitch, longer in duration, and generally a little louder than unstressed or unaccented syllables. So let’s look at some examples.

What are the examples of stress?

Examples of life stresses are:

23 related questions found

• Intro to Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
• What is A Stressed and Unstressed Syllable?
• How Do You Know if a Syllable is Stressed or Unstressed?
• Takeaways about Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

In this post, I will show you a facet of words that 99% of people do not explicitly know exists. Poets and linguistic students aside, when’s the last time you heard about stressed and unstressed syllables?

Now of course you know that tone of speech carries impact and that the way you say a phrase changes its meaning.

Ok let’s eat grandma
vs
Ok let’s eat, grandma

I hate you!
vs
I hate you?

This is natural and everyone picks up on it intuitively, and so if we go from looking at a phrase to looking at a single word, the same discomfort or humor can come from mixing with the emphasis on certain syllables. From Borat’s funny accent to some brutal mispronunciation that leaves you embarrassed.

What’s much harder to pick up on (without practice) is where exactly in these words the syllables are stressed, vs where they aren’t. And so this guide will help you find them.

What is A Stressed and Unstressed Syllable?

Before we start looking for the difference I think, that I should define what each of these types of syllables is. To do this let’s use the word: DELIGHT.

Example: Delight

Most words in the English language have a stressed syllable and the rest unstressed. (In reality, the amount of stress varies on every single syllable but that’s relatively unnecessary to dive into.)

When a syllable is stressed it sounds emphasized and POWERFUL. So let’s get to the example word, Delight. Doing a simple syllable count we get a total count of two syllables, de- and -light.

One of these syllables is more emphasized than the other, can you identify it?

The -light is the stressed syllable. Kind of hard to figure out at first right?

You pronounce the word deLIGHT, not DElight. Try saying DElight, it’s kind of strange…

Maybe you got this right, maybe you got it wrong. But either way, you’re going to want to be able to do this consistently right? So let’s get to the guide!

How Do You Know if a Syllable is Stressed or Unstressed?

Method 1: Listen To the Frequency

If you listen really really really closely you will hear that the stressed syllables have higher pitches. To demonstrate I have picked a word that this phenomenon is very easy to see:
Prepare

Now before you mix your pre-‘s and your -pare’s, you need to clean your palate. So repeat the word over and over without trying to determine anything.

Turn your brain off and repeat: prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare.

Ok now say it normally and determine where the pitch is higher on the pre- or the -pare?

It’s the -pare

As I can’t hear you either, Good Job! or You’ll Get The Next One!

---

Method 2: Frequency Part 2

If you struggled with the first method this is for you.

Now, this isn’t exactly a completely different method than the first, but it is something I discovered that builds on the same idea.

So let’s take the word Shadow. Cleanse your palate, by repeating shadow without listening.

And now as you say it normally three times then stop on the first syllable and hold/sing it.

shadow, shadow, shadow, shaaaaaaaa-, ok now remember that frequency.

now for round two, repeat but hold the second syllable,

shadow, shadow, shadow, -dooooooo, now note that frequency

Now compare the two frequencies.

Is the -dooooo higher-pitched than the shaaaaa-?

Which one is the stressed or unstressed syllable?

The shaaa- is higher-pitched which means the SHAdow is the correct pronunciation.

Method 3: Yellin’

You are going to say the word, but really emphasize one part, not as dramatically as the title of this method suggests but noticeably enhance one syllable.

Now let’s try with Yelling

Say Yel- -ing
Now Say Yel- -ing

One of those should have sounded weirder than the other.

Which syllable do you think is stressed?

It’s Yell-

---

Method 3.5: Yellin’ Part 2

Now if Method 3 was not useful, I will give you another expanded method that will make it work.

This time, you should stress the word in a sentence and see if that solves the issue.

Take the word Water

Say: “Where is my wa- -ter bottle?”

Now Say: “Where is my wat- -ter bottle?”

One of those should have sounded much weirder than the other.

Which syllable do you think is stressed?

This is probably the most useful method on this list and should be used if you can’t hear the frequencies. Ok, one more flower picture.

Its the Wa,

Give me my WAter bottle. The other pronunciation sounds awkward and spasmodic.

---

~Method 4: The Dictionary & Practice

If every single method fails you, go here https://www.howmanysyllables.com/words/water, it will highlight the stressed and unstressed syllables in any word you look up. There are lots of possibilities: sometimes you may get words with only stressed syllables, and it will give you a primary and secondary: “daylight”, or where both are stressed “moonlight”. So have fun!

But just know that practice will make you much better at this and you will start to see patterns in 2,3, or 4 syllable words and be able to retrieve the results faster than taking out your phone and looking it up, so good luck practicing here is a list of words to try!

Make sure to try the frequency method before the sounding-it-out method, as practice will soon have you understanding where the stress is without having to repeat the word

Here is Some Practice Try Out Your New Skills!

Monkey

Banana

Jeremiah

Orangutang

Fresh

Answers below:

MONkey

BaNAna

JEreMIah

ORANguTANG

FRESH (it’s only one syllable hehe) *Tip* Single syllable, Nouns and Verbs are usually stressed

Takeaways about Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

Even after reading this whole article, you may still be struggling to identify the stressed syllable every time. But Do Not Worry! With enough practice you will become a pro, just remember:

• Listen To The Frequency
• Hold The Frequency
• Yell (not actual yelling but emphasizing)
• And If All Else Fails Dictionary!

Want to learn more? Check out Pat Pattison. I developed these methods taking one of his courses!

Mark D.

Hi, I’m Mark.
I’ve been playing instruments since I was just a little kid. I’ve played cello and piano for a few years, and recently picked up guitar. I’ve produced bad music. I also run this blog where I share interesting things I’ve learned.

I hope you Enjoy my posts!

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A syllable is a unit of speech which is single and has a sound. It may have a vowel sound or one or more consonants before or after it. For example, ‘if’ is a mono-syllabic word. A mono-syllabic word is a word containing one syllable. On the other hand, a poly-syllabic word is a word containing more than one syllable, for example, ‘under’. In poly-syllabic words, a syllable is stressed, meaning it sounds more prominent than the other syllable in word. 

For example, in the word ‘beheaded’, ‘head’ is the stressed syllable, whereas ‘be’ and ‘ded’ remain unstressed. There is a change in the pitch of voice while saying the stressed syllable out loud. Therefore, a stressed syllable is the syllable which has more emphasis than the other syllables in a word. And, an unstressed syllable is the syllable which we don’t emphasize. So, let’s take a look at the stressed and unstressed syllables in words with their examples.

Almost all poly-syllabic words have a stressed syllable in them. You can find them out by noticing the syllable which has been emphasized in the word.

ahead	amended	radiator	abbreviated	authoritarian
wonderful	although	genius	incredibly	frustrating
appreciate	implicit	explain	allege	emphatic
demonstrable	cause	because	invoke	hoodwink
acoustic	confront	confirm	recite	devout
exploit	beauty	beautiful	deactivate	accuse

Words have different stressed syllables. It can be the first syllable, the second syllable, any syllable in the middle, or the final syllable. So, here is a list of examples according to the stressed syllable.

1. Words with the Stress on First Syllable

Here are examples of words where we put stress on the first syllable to correctly pronounce them.

government	question	office	power	money
family	country	service	area	order
council	interest	person	problem	body
father	management	morning	century	air
language	union	paper	quality	cost
girl	future	movement	city	action
issue	manager	capital	table	moment
chairman	basis	record	other	series
chapter	music	theory	structure	reason
practice	president	study	section	subject
own	local	second	possible	major
certain	likely	special	little	national
large	public	difficult	old	social
right	only	able	open	human
personal	middle	early	real	long
middle	ordinary	famous	nuclear	western
soviet	regional	regular	powerful	technical
very	suitable	quiet	ancient	busy
corporate	yellow	valuable	friendly	sensitive
crucial	roman	communist	massive	comfortable

2. Words with Stress on Second Syllable

Following is the list of words where stress is put on the second syllable to pronounce it.

society	idea	experience	decision	approach
police	community	support	result	account
production	example	control	position	committee
research	effect	report	authority	award
computer	security	success	performance	agreement
material	design	activity	technology	employment
commission	division	provision	discussion	protection
proportion	construction	procedure	assembly	debate
opinion	curriculum	description	consumer	republic
impression	location	comparison	resistance	foundation
mistake	alternative	inquiry	priority	defendant
awareness	regime	intelligence	convention	minority
command	consent	abuse	requirement	defendant
identity	recovery	efficiency	liability	request
initiative	career	expression	supply	existence
review	attack	advantage	solution	relief
complexity	diagnosis	divorce	pursuit	tribunal
portfolio	adviser	receiver	repair	integrity
adventure	attraction	exclusion	embarrassment	apartment
imprisonment	criterion	compliance	morality	humanity

3. Words with Stress on Third Syllable

volunteer	contradict	override	overlap	overthrow
disregard	underpin	underlie	disappoint	overrun
intercept	overwhelm	disapprove	recollect	overdo
engineer	disentangle	overflow	discontinue	apprehend
resurrect	contravene	supersede	rehabilitate	intersect
disillusion	referee	overhaul	disconnect	acquiesce
disobey	coalesce	disbelieve	intermediate	overshadow
overpower	disengage	decompose	disembark	overstate
subdivide	re-evaluate	disallow	recapitulate	reminisce
overheat	overstep	disassociate	reconnoitre	interbreed
recompense	disavow	realign	disembodied	overwork
convalesce	overlie	interpose	disinfect	circumnavigate
excommunicate	deconstruct	decontrol	interject	disconcert
institutionalize	appertain	condescend	disambiguate	interweave
proposition	disrespect	disabuse	dispossess	operationalize
disenfranchise	dislocate	equilibrate	countermand	barricade
dehydrate	overeat	overweening	overhang	deselect
decompress	satiate	disassemble	silhouette	overwear
mountaineer	overuse	overbear	disinter	intermeddle
dematerialize	souvenir	misconceive	reassume	decontrolled

So, these were the stressed syllable example words. There are tonnes of words with stress in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth syllable and so on. It is quite easy to identify once you pay attention to it.

Stressing the right part of a syllable is a way to bring attention to the word.

Unstressed Syllable Words List

As mentioned earlier, an unstressed syllable is the syllable which is not emphasized in the word. In poly-syllabic words, except the stressed syllable, all remaining syllables of a certain words are unstressed. But we can’t stress mono-syllabic words. We can only stress a syllable when it is more than one. A word basically has one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables. So, let’s take a look at some unstressed syllable words.

bit	bite	Black	blade	blame
bland	blank	bleak	blind	block
blond	blood	blow	blue	blunt
board	boast	boat	boil	bold
bomb	Bond	bone	Book	boom
boost	boot	check	cheek	cheer
cheese	cheque	chest	chief	child
chip	choice	choose	church	cite
claim	clash	class	clause	Clay
clean	clear	clerk	cliff	climb
cling	clock	close	cloth	cloud
club	clue	dish	disk	DNA
DO	dock	dog	door	dose
doubt	dour	Down	drab	draft
drain	draw	dream	dress	drift
drink	drive	drop	drown	drug
drunk	dry	duck	duke	dull
dumb	dump	dust	ear	earl
earn	Earth	ease	gain	game
gang	gap	gas	gasp	gate
gaunt	gay	gaze	gear	gene
get	ghost	gift	girl	give
glad	glance	glass	go	goal
God	gold	golf	good	grab
grade	grain	grand	Grant	grasp
Grass	grave	great	Green	greet
Grey	grim	grin	grip	gross
ground	group	grow	Key	kick
Kid	kill	kind	King	kiss
kit	knee	knife	knit	knock
know	lack	lad	lake	lame
lamp	Land	lane	large	last
late	laugh	launch	law	lay
lead	leaf	league	lean	leap
learn	lease	leave	left	leg
lend	length	let	Lie	life
Light	like	limp	line	link
lip	list	live	mud	mum
myth	nail	name	near	neat
neck	need	nerve	nest	net
New	Nice	Night	No	nod
noise	norm	nose	note	nude
numb	nurse	posh	Post	pot
Pound	pour	praise	pray	press
Price	pride	priest	prince	print
prize	prompt	proof	proud	prove
pub	pull	pure	push	put
quaint	queen	queer	quick	quote
race	raid	rail	rain	raise
range	rank	rape	rare	rat
rate	roast	Rock	rod	role
roll	roof	room	root	rope
rose	rough	round	route	row
rub	rude	rule	run	Rush
sack	sad	safe	sail	sake
SALT	Sand	sane	save	say
scale	scan	scant	scarce	scene
scheme	school	scope	score	scratch
scream	screen	sea	SEAL	search
seat	see	seed	seek	seem
seize	self	sell	send	sense
serve	set	sex	shade	shake
shame	shape	share	shed	sheep
sheer	sheet	shelf	shell	shift
shine	ship	shirt	shit	shock
shoe	shoot	shop	shore	short
shot	shout	show	shrewd	shrill
shrug	shut	shy	sick	side
sigh	sight	sign	silk	Sin
sing	sink	Sir	sit	site
size	skill	skin	skirt	sky
slack	slam	sleek	sleep	slick
slide	slight	slim	slip	slope
slow	small	smart	smash	smell
smile	smoke	smooth	smug	snap
snide	Snow	snug	soft	soil
sole	solve	Son	Song	sore
sort	soul	sound	sour	source
South	soy	space	spare	sparse
speak	speech	speed	spell	spend
sphere	spill	spin	Split	spoil
spoilt	sport	spot	spread	spring
squad	square	squeeze	staff	stage
staid	stairs	stake	stale	stance
stand	star	stare	start	State
staunch	stay	steal	steam	steel
steep	stem	step	stick	stiff
still	stir	stock	Stone	stop
store	storm	stout	straight	strain
strange	stream	street	strength	stress
stretch	strict	strike	string	strip
stroke	strong	stuff	style	suck
Sue	suit	sum	Sun	sure
swear	sweep	Sweet	Swift	swim
swing	switch	sword	tail	take
tale	talk	tall	tame	tank
tap	tape	task	taste	taut

We hope that with this extended article you would be able to get the brief of stressed and unstressed syllable words.

You can also download the following resource to quickly revise the difference between stressed and unstressed syllables.

Keep exploring EnglishBix for more quality resources on pronunciation of different words.

Word stress is the specific stressed syllable in the pronunciation of a particular word.

A great number of words in English only have one syllable (for example go, eat, wait, eight, house, prince, friends, thieves, straight, etc.). In these cases the stress can only be located in that syllable.

In longer words the stress can lie in any syllable:

• First syllable: doctor; handicap; testimony; capitalism;
• Second syllable: alone; important; comparison; sophisticated;
• Third syllable: understand; controversial; university;
• Fourth syllable: configuration; experimental; responsibility

While on the subject, as in all aspects of language, a constantly-evolving mode of communication among human beings, the stress on words can also shift over time.^[1]

IPA symbol[edit | edit source]

In IPA the primary stress is marked with a small raised vertical line preceding the stressed syllable: doctor /ˈdɒktər/, hotel /həʊˈtel/, experience /ɪkˈspɪərɪəns/, professional /prəˈfeʃənəl/.

Secondary stress[edit | edit source]

Long words may have an extra stress, the second most stressed syllable in the word.

The secondary stress is marked with a small lowered vertical line preceding the stressed syllable: information /ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/, understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/, represent /ˌreprɪˈzent/.

Words with secondary stress are pronounced as if they were two different words, and one of them has the primary stress: infor-mation, under-stand, repre-sent. If a word has two secondary stresses it is pronounced as three small words: onomatopoeia /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/ ono-mato-poeia; heterosexuality /ˌhetərəˌsekʃuːˈælətiː/ hetero-sexu-ality.

Some general rules[edit | edit source]

	First syllable	Second syllable
Nouns	coffee — expert — water	canal — hotel
Verbs	argue — follow	agree — complain — regret

Nouns, etc.[edit | edit source]

What is said here about nouns is also valid for other parts of speech, except verbs.

Two syllables[edit | edit source]

• Two-syllable nouns often, but not always, have the stress on the first syllable:

Nouns: coffee — country — effort — engine — exit — expert — export — increase — level — morning — number — people — pepper — problem — record — rescue — second — sentence — system — water

Other parts of speech: after — any — central — little — many — mental — only — other — over — something — very

Exceptions:

Nouns: aˈmount — atˈtack — atˈtempt — caˈnal — conˈtrol — deˈfence — deˈmand — diˈsease — eˈclipse — efˈfect — exˈcept — exˈtinct — hoˈtel — Juˈly — maˈchine — poˈlice — reˈceipt — reˈply — reˈport — reˈsearch — reˈsult — sucˈcess — supˈport

Other parts of speech: aˈbove — aˈbout — aˈgain — aˈgainst — aˈhead — aˈlone — alˈthough — aˈmong — aˈround — aˈware — aˈway — beˈcause — beˈfore — beˈhind — beˈlow — beˈtween — eˈnough — perˈhaps — toˈday — unˈtil — uˈpon — withˈin — withˈout

Three syllables[edit | edit source]

• Stress in the first syllable

animal — benefit — company — definite — ˈexerˌcise — family — general — gentlemen — government — handicap — recipe — secretary^BrE — yesterday

• Stress in the second syllable:

aˈnother — beˈhavior — comˈposer — Deˈcember — deˈparture — deˈtective — eˈmotion — eˈxample — exˈpensive — goˈrilla — reˈmainder

• Stress in the third syllable:

ˌafterˈnoon — ˌanyˈmore — ˌengiˈneer — ˌguaranˈtee — ˌoverˈseas — ˌrefuˈgee — ˌsevenˈteen — ˌvolunˈteer

Four or more syllables[edit | edit source]

• Stress in the first syllable

actually — ˈmiliˌtary^AmE — necessary — ˈsecreˌtary^AmE — television

• Stress in the second syllable:

acˈtivity — exˈperience — deˈvelopment — poˈlitical — seˈcurity

• In nouns ending -isation or -ization, we stress the /eɪ/:

ˈciviˌlise – ˌciviliˈsation; ˈimprovise – improviˈsation; organise – organiˈsation; privatise – privatiˈsation;

• Stress in the third syllable:

ˌcateˈgorical — ˌcontroˈversial — ˌenterˈtainment — ˌindisˈtinguishable — ˌinforˈmation — ˌinterˈmittent — ˌreproˈducible — ˌuniˈversity

• Stress in the fourth syllable:

ˌcharacteˈristic — conˌfiguˈration — ˌetymoˈlogical — matriculate

Verbs[edit | edit source]

Two syllables[edit | edit source]

• verbs with two syllables often, but not always, have the stress on the second:

aˈgree — apˈply — arˈrive — beˈcome — beˈgin — beˈlieve — comˈpare — comˈplain — comˈply — deˈcide — deˈclare — deˈfy — deˈpend — disˈcuss — enˈjoy — exˈplain — exˈport — forˈget — imˈprove — inˈclude — inˈcrease — inˈvite — preˈpare — preˈtend — preˈvent — proˈvide — reˈceive — reˈcord — reˈfer — reˈfuse — reˈgret — reˈmain — reˈpeat — reˈply — reˈport — reˈspect — reˈsult — reˈturn — reˈveal — reˈwind — sugˈgest

Exceptions: answer — argue — cancel — center^AmE/centre^BrE — color^AmE/colour^BrE — differ — edit — enter — exit — figure — follow — happen — issue — level — limit — matter — market — offer — open — order — question — reason — silence — study — value — visit

Three syllables[edit | edit source]

• Stress in the first syllable

benefit — evidence — dominate — educate — hesitate — indicate — influence — multiply

Many verbs ending in «-ise^BrE/-ize»: civilise/civilize — organise/organize — realise/realize — recognise/recognize

• Stress in the second syllable

conˈtinue — conˈsider — deˈvelop — reˈcover — reˈmember

• Stress in the third syllable

decomˈpose — recomˈmend — underˈstand

Four or more syllables[edit | edit source]

• Stress in the second syllable

apˈpreciate — apˈpropriate — asˈsociate — coˈmunicate — exˈperiment — iˈdentify — exˈperience — eˈvaluate

Some verbs ending in «-ise^BrE/-ize»: comˈmercialise/comˈmercialize — faˈmiliarise/faˈmiliarize — priˈoritise/priˈoritize

• Stress in the third syllable

deconˈtaminate — ˌmanuˈfacture

The letter e[edit | edit source]

There are many words which have «e» in the first syllable. In many cases if you know the stress you can predict the pronunciation and viceversa

	Stress in first syllable	Stress in second syllable
/e/	general — level — yesterday	technique
/ɪ/	pretty	belief — prepare — refuse

• Most words with the first e pronounced like /ɪ/ are stressed in the second syllable.

Nouns: belief — December — defence — demand — departure — detective — eclipse — ellipse — emotion — example — except — expensive — experience — extinct — receipt — report — research — result

Verbs: become — begin — believe — decide — declare — defy — depend — enjoy — evaluate — explain — experience — prepare — pretend — prevent — receive — recover — refer — refuse — regret — remain — remember — repeat — reply — report — respect — return — reveal — rewind

Other parts of speech: because — before — between

• When the first e is the stressed syllable, it is usually pronounced /e/:

Nouns: beggar — benefit — celery — ceremony — effort — engine — exercise — exit — expert — general — gentlemen — level — mechanism — pepper — recipe — record — rescue — second — secretary — sentence — vegetable — yesterday

Verbs: detonate — edit — educate — enter — exit — hesitate — level

Other parts of speech: central — definitely — federal — mental

This is particularly noticeable in many verbs which have the same spelling for the noun; See Heteronym.

export (v.) — export (n.); record (v.) — record (n.);

Exceptions:

First syllable

/ɪ/: England — English — pretty

/iː/: decent — detail — even — female — legal — Peter — previous — recent — region — retail — secret — sequence — vehicle

Second syllable

/iː/: replay

/e/: technique

Third syllable

/e/: celebration

Heteronyms[edit | edit source]

Many heteronyms have a difference in stress. In many cases a noun is stressed in the first syllable and a verb is stressed in the second.

Noun-verb

• ˈattribute (n.) — atˈtribute (v.); ˈcontract (n.) — conˈtract (v.); ˈexport (n.) — exˈport (v.); ˈinsult (n.) — inˈsult (v.); ˈrecord (n.) — reˈcord (v.);

Other

• aˈrithmetic (n.) — arithˈmetic (adj.); ˈinvalid (n.) — inˈvalid (adj.);

Minimal pairs[edit | edit source]

• ˈdif ˈfer — deˈfer; ˈinsight — inˈcite; ˈinsult (n.) — inˈsult (v.)

Many words that appear to be minimal pairs, with only stress as a difference, also have a vowel change. For example the noun «ˈexport» is pronounced with /e/ and the verb «exˈport» is pronounced with /ɪ/.

Variant pronunciations[edit | edit source]

Some words may be pronounced with stress in different syllables. In some cases there is a regional variation.

• address/address^AmE — adult/adult — advertisement^BrE/advertisement^AmE — composite^BrE/composite^AmE — controversy (traditional pronunciation, both ^BrE and ^AmE)/controversy (new pronunciation, peculiarly ^BrE)^[2] — kilometre/kilometre — transference^BrE/transference^AmE

This is particularly noticeable in French borrowings.

• ballet^BrE/ballet^AmE — chauffeur^BrE/chauffeur^AmE — fiancé(e)^BrE/fiancé(e)^AmE — garage^BrE/garage^AmE — lingerie^BrE/lingerie^AmE

Many words that have a secondary stress in American English don’t pronunce that vowel in British English:

• cemetery /ˈseməˌteriː/^AmE — /ˈsemətriː/^BrE
• military /ˈmɪləˌteriː/^AmE — /ˈmɪlətriː/^BrE
• ordinary /ˈɔːrdənˌeriː/^AmE — /ˈɔːrdənriː/^BrE
• secretary /ˈsekrəˌteriː/^AmE — /ˈsekrətriː/^BrE
• temporary /ˈtempəreriː/^AmE — /ˈtemprəriː/^BrE

• laboratory /ˈlæbrəˌtɔːriː/^AmE — /ləˈbɒrətriː/^BrE

In other cases the vowel is a schwa in British English.

• adversary /ˈædvərˌseriː/^AmE — /ˈædvərsəriː/^BrE
• capillary: /ˈkæpəˌleriː/^AmE — /kəˈpɪləriː/^BrE
• category /ˈkætəɡɔːriː/^AmE — /ˈkætəɡəriː/^BrE
• customary /ˈkʌstəˌmeriː/ — /ˈkʌstəməriː/^BrE
• literary /ˈlɪtəˌreriː/^AmE — /ˈlɪtərəriː/^BrE
• necessary /ˈnesəˌseriː/^AmE — /ˈnesəsəriː/
• rosemary /ˈrəʊzˌmeriː/^AmE — /ˈrəʊzməriː/^BrE

Other words don’t have a secondary accent even if they end in «ry»:

• adultery /əˈdʌltəriː/
• delivery /dɪˈlɪvəriː/

See also Varisyllabic words.

Unstressed words[edit | edit source]

Main article: Weak form

Many common words can be unstressed in a sentence. For example, «ˌI can ˈswim» has stresses in «I» and in «swim». In «ˌYes, ˌI ˈcan» all words are stressed.

Anticipated pronunciation difficulties depending on L1[edit | edit source]

Preconceived ideas and other interferences from L1 obviously interfere in many cases with how students perceive — and pronounce — sounds/words in English. The following sections aims to point out some of the most typical difficulties teachers and students may encounter regarding pronunciation.

Spanish[edit | edit source]

Many Spanish speakers think that all English words are stressed in the first syllable, and they pronounce *canal, *hotel, *perhaps, *between, or *preliminary. Even the word cartel is pronounced “cártel» by many people when speaking Spanish.^[3]

References[edit | edit source]

Word
stress (word
accent) is greater prominence given to one or more syllables in a
word.

Stressed
and unstressed syllables differ in quantity (length) and quality.
They are longer when stressed and carry vowels of full formation.
When unstressed, they undergo reduction and become shorter.

Word
stress should be considered from the point of view of:

1. its
   place in a sentence;

2. its
   degree.

There
are two degrees of word stress in English:

1. primary
   or strong (marked above the syllable);

2. secondary
   or weak (marked under the syllable).

The
place of word stress depends on the quantity of syllables in a word.

Accented types of words

1. Monosyllabic,
   disyllabic and trisyllabic words are stressed on the first syllable,
   e. g. phoneme,
   palate,
   prefix,
   pronoun,
   family,
   enemy,
   imitate,
   colony.

Note
1.
In three-syllable words the stressed vowel is mostly read according
to the second type of the syllable, e. g. family.

Note
2.
In words with inseparable prefixes the stress falls on the syllable
next to the prefix: begin,
prepare.

1. Most
   four-syllable words have the stress laid on the third syllable from
   the end, e. g. political,
   experiment,
   historical,
   geology.

2. Compound
   nouns are stressed on the first component, the second though
   unstressed has a vowel of full formation, e. g. blackboard
   //.

Exceptions:
arm-chair,
ice-cream,
tape-recorder.

4.
Polysyllabic words have the primary stress on the third syllable from
the end and the secondary stress on the second pretonic syllable, e.
g. university,
assimilation,
possibility.

1. The
   following groups of words have two primary stresses:

• numerals
  (from 13 to 19): fourteen;

• compound
  adjectives: well-known,
  good-looking;

• composite
  verbs: get
  up,
  sit
  down,
  put
  on;

• words
  with separable prefixes:

1. implying
   negation: un-,
   in-, il-, ir-, non-, dis-,
   e. g. unknown,
   inaccurate, irregular, non-aggressive, disbelief, illiterate;

2. prefixes
   implying assistance: sub-,
   vice-,
   e.g. subtitle,
   vice-minister;

3. prefixes
   with different meanings: mis—
   — meaning ‘wrong’ (misunderstand); over—
   — meaning ‘too much’ (overtired); pre—
   — meaning ‘before’ (pre-revolutionary); inter—
   — meaning ‘among’, ‘between’ (international); anti—
   — meaning ‘against’ (antiwar).

Note.
Words listed under group 5 undergo variations in stress. In
utterances they lose one stress or the other. When they are used
attributively, the second stress is lost; when used predicatively,
the first stress is lost:

Attributively
Predicatively

Fourteen
years.
He’s fourteen.

A
hard-working
boy.
The boy
is hard-working.

A
well-planned
house.
The house
is well-planned.

A
well-bred
man.
The man
is well-bred.

English Intonation. Its Components.

The
sentence possesses definite phonetic features. Each feature performs
a definite task, and all of them work simultaneously. Thus,

1. Sentences
   are usually separated from each other by pauses.
   If necessary, the sentence is subdivided into shorter word groups
   according to sense; these are called sense
   groups,
   or syntagms.

2. The
   pitch of the voice does not stay on the same level while the
   sentence is pronounced; it fluctuates, rising and falling on the
   vowels and voiced consonants. The fluctuations of the voice pitch
   are called speech
   melody.

3. The
   word that is most important for the meaning of the sentence, i. e.
   the word acting as its semantic centre, is made prominent by stress
   and a special moving
   tone.

4. Other
   words, also essential for the meaning, are stressed
   but the pitch of these words remains unchanged.

5. Form
   words, performing grammatical functions (such as articles,
   prepositions, auxiliary, modal and link verbs) are usually left
   unstressed;
   they are mostly pronounced in their reduced (weak) forms.

6. Connected
   English speech comes as a series of closely knit groups of words,
   each group containing only one stressed syllable. The stressed
   syllables occur at approximately equal intervals of time. This
   interrelationship of stress and time makes rhythm.

7. The
   rate
   of speech is
   not constant, but is made to suit the semantic weight of each sense
   group of the utterance.

8. The
   timbre
   of the voice changes in accordance with the emotions experienced by
   the speaker.

All
the phonetic features of the sentence enumerated above (speech
melody, sentence stress, tempo, rhythm, pauses and timbre) form a
complex unity, called intonation.

The
most important components of intonation from the linguistic point of
view are speech melody, sentence stress, and rhythm.

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