Word stress in nouns verbs and adjectives

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.

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 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),
deNY (глагол)
– deNIal (существительное),ofFEND
(verb) – ofFENCE (noun),ofFEND (глагол)
– ofFENCE (существительное),reVIEW
(noun) – reVIEW (verb),reVIEW (сущ.)
– reVIEW (глагол),PREview
(noun) – PREview (verb),PREview (сущ.)
– PREview (глагол),HOSpital
(noun) – HOSpitalize (verb),HOSpital (сущ.)
– HOSpitalize (глагол).
Shift
of stress: preSENT
(verb) – PRESent (noun),preSENT (глагол)
– PRESent (существительное),reFER
(verb) – REFerence (noun),reFER (глагол)
– REFerence (сущ.),exTRACT
(verb) – EXtract (noun),exTRACT (глагол)
– EXtract (сущ.),inCREASE
(verb) – INcrease (noun),inCREASE (глагол)
– INcrease (сущ.),OBject
(noun) – obJECT (verb) ,OBject
(сущ.)
– obJECT (глагол).
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 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 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 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.

Word
Stress 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 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),
deNY (глагол)
– deNIal (существительное),ofFEND
(verb) – ofFENCE (noun),ofFEND (глагол)
– ofFENCE (существительное),reVIEW
(noun) – reVIEW (verb),reVIEW (сущ.)
– reVIEW (глагол),PREview
(noun) – PREview (verb),PREview (сущ.)
– PREview (глагол),HOSpital
(noun) – HOSpitalize (verb),HOSpital (сущ.)
– HOSpitalize (глагол).
Shift
of stress: preSENT
(verb) – PRESent (noun),preSENT (глагол)
– PRESent (существительное),reFER
(verb) – REFerence (noun),reFER (глагол)
– REFerence (сущ.),exTRACT
(verb) – EXtract (noun),exTRACT (глагол)
– EXtract (сущ.),inCREASE
(verb) – INcrease (noun),inCREASE (глагол)
– INcrease (сущ.),OBject
(noun) – obJECT (verb) ,OBject
(сущ.)
– obJECT (глагол).
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 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 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 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.

In our previous post, we shared 12 great tips to help you improve your English pronunciation.  For tip number nine, Understanding Word Stress & Sentence Stress, we explained the importance of word stress rules for communicating effectively in English. In this post, we delve a little deeper into the subject.

What is Word Stress?

The stress placed on syllables within words is called word stress. In one word, we place emphasis on one syllable, while the other syllables are given less emphasis.

English words only have one stressed syllable. Whilst longer words can have a secondary stress, it is always a much lighter stress. It is also worth noting that we stress vowel sounds and not consonants.

In English we have variable stress where the position of the stress is unpredictable. This contrasts with some other languages – like Polish or Finnish – that have fixed stress where the stress on virtually any multi-syllable word falls on a particular syllable. Learn more here.

Where you place stress or emphasis within a word can affect the way in which it is pronounced and therefore its meaning. As a result, knowing which syllable within a word should be emphasised or stressed is very important for correct pronunciation. The reason for this is that placing stress on the wrong syllable within a word can completely change the meaning of a word.

Understanding The Importance of Word Stress

So, understanding the importance of word stress is vital if you want to improve your English pronunciation and speak English like a native English.

But if word stress is so important, exactly what are the rules that we need to follow?

As with so many aspects of the English language, there are many rules to learn. Then, to make things even more tricky, there are also many contradictions or exceptions to those rules. This can make learning English more challenging for some students.

To help you out, we have compiled some simple guidelines for learning the rules of word stress.  We don’t cover all aspects of English word stress rules but the points  we have mentioned will certainly get you started.

English Word Stress Rules

1. Word Stress For Two-Syllable Words

Two-Syllable Nouns

If the word is a two-syllable noun, we usually place the stress on the FIRST syllable.

Example: MONkey, TEAcher, DIStance, INsect, TAble,

Two-Syllable Adjectives

If the word is a two-syllable adjective,  as with two-syllable nouns, we usually place the stress on the FIRST syllable.

Examples: SIlent, BORing, LIttle, PURple, STUpid, CLEver, FRIEndly

Two Syllable Verbs

Conversely, if the word is a two-syllable verb we generally stress the SECOND syllable.

Examples: beGIN, surVIVE, aTTEND, coLLECT, preVENT

See more examples of verbs where the second syllable is stressed.

Two Syllable Prepositions

The SECOND syllable is also stressed if the word is a preposition.

Examples: aROUND, beFORE, beLOW, inSIDE, toWARDS (See more examples of prepositions with stress on second syllable)

2. Word Stress For Words That Are Both Nouns & Verbs

When a word can be both a noun and a verb, we stress the FIRST syllable for the noun and the SECOND syllable for the verb.

Examples:

1) The violent CONflict between the couple conFLICTS with their pacifistic beliefs.

2) The PREsents he preSENTS his wife never fail to disappoint her.

3) They will no doubt disCOUNT my suggestion for DIScounts on Chinese courses for the elderly.

Click here for some good examples with audio included:

As mentioned, there are always exceptions to the rules. That said, it’s fairly accurate to say that only around 20% of two-syllable words have their stress on the second syllable.

3. Word Stress For Words Ending in ‘er’ & ‘ly’.

If a word ends in either ‘er’ or ‘ly’, whether it’s a noun, an adjective or an adverb, the general rules is that the stress is placed on the first syllable.

Example:

ANgrily, PERfectly, SUddenly, HAppily,

FOReigner, GARdener, BARtender, MANager

BIgger, BEtter, FAtter

4. Words That Use The Suffix ade, ee, ese, ique, ette & oon

Stress the actual suffix of words (including the first consonant before the suffix) ending in -ade, -ee, -ese, -ique and -ette and -oon

Examples:

deCADE, inVADE,

ampuTEE, guaranTEE, aGREE,

ChiNESE, oBESE, legaLESE,

vinaigRETTE, kitcheNETTE, laundeRETTE,

anTIQUE, obLIQUE,

carTOON, baBOON

5. Simple Word Stress Rules For Suffixes

The rule changes for words with a number of other suffixes such as -ery, -ian, -ible, -able, i-al, -cian, -ic, -ish, -ics, -ion, -ious, -ia, and -ient. Instead of placing the emphasis on the actual suffix as illustrated in the examples above, we stress the syllable just before the suffix.

Examples:

-ery: CELery, SURgery, reCOVery
-ian: boHEMian, coMEdian, ciVILian, beauTICian
-ible: AUDible, adMISSible, SENSible
-able: aDAPTable, SUITable, CHANGEable
-ial: fiNANcial, artiFICial, oFFICial
-cian: maGIcian, opTIcian, beauTIcian
-ic: BAsic, draMAtic, characteRIStic
-ish: GARish, ENglish, unSELfish
-ics: dyNAMics, aeRObics, hypNOtics
-ion: VERsion, classifiCAtion, CAUtion
-ious: harMONious, PREvious, VARious, FURious
-ia: TRIVia, maLARia, multiMEdia
-ient: ANcient, NUtrient, suFICient
-osis: thromBOsis, psyCHOsis, osMOsis

A good way to remember some of the suffixes above is to use the rule for nearly all suffixes that start with an ‘i’ or a ‘u’. For example, the suffixes -ion, -ual, -uous, -ial, -ient, -ious, -iuor, ior, -ic, -ity.

Notice again  how we stress the syllable immediately before the suffix in the following examples:

diVERsion,

unUSual,

conTINuous,

amBIGuous,

FATuous,

SPAtial,

TRANSient,

LUSCious,

suPERior,

behaviour,

JUNior,

STOic,

linGUIStic,

photoGRAPHic

Note, some exceptions to this rule include words ending in -ism, -ist and -ize.

English Word Stress Videos




How Dictionaries Help With Word Stress

If you are unsure about where to place the stress in a word, you can always refer to an English dictionary.  All good dictionaries give the phonetic spelling of a word.

You can learn which syllable of a word is stressed by looking at the phonetic spelling. The stressed syllable is commonly shown with an apostrophe (‘) just before or just after the stressed syllable.

Unfortunately, dictionary creators never agreed on one system so you should refer to your dictionary’s (how to use this dictionary) notes to see which system they use.

Here’s an example from my dictionary that shows which syllable to stress by placing the apostrophe immediately BEFORE the stressed syllable:

photograph | ‘fəʊtəɡrɑːf

photographic | ˌfəʊtə’ɡrafɪk 

Using the system of capitalising the stressed syllable as in all of my examples above, these two dictionary examples look like this:

PHOtograph

photGRAPHic

Learn Word Stress With Practise & Experience

As previously mentioned, the list of rules above is by no means complete. However, it does explain where to place the primary emphasis on numerous English words.

If the thoughts of learning all these rules is overwhelming, do not be too discouraged.  Many English learners naturally assimilate to word stress rules simply by listening and practicing the language.

Probably the best way to learn is from experience.  Try to get a feel for the music of the language by listening carefully to spoken English.

Of course, if you would like some extra assistance with your English speaking skills, contact us to find out more about our English courses in Hong Kong.

Here’s a brief overview of our English courses. Click the image for more details.

There are two very simple rules about word stress:

1. One word has only one stress. (One word cannot have two stresses. If you hear two stresses, you hear two words. Two stresses cannot be one word. It is true that there can be a «secondary» stress in some words. But a secondary stress is much smaller than the main [primary] stress, and is only used in long words.)
2. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.

Here are some more, rather complicated, rules that can help you understand where to put the stress. But do not rely on them too much, because there are many exceptions. It is better to try to «feel» the music of the language and to add the stress naturally.

A. Stress on first syllable

rule	examples
Most 2-syllable nouns	PRESent EXport CHIna TAble
Most 2-syllable adjectives	PRESent SLENder CLEVer HAPpy

B. Stress on last syllable

rule	examples
Most 2-syllable verbs	preSENT exPORT deCIDE beGIN

There are many two-syllable words in English whose meaning and class change with a change in 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). More examples: the words export, import, contract and object can all be nouns or verbs depending on whether the stress is on the first or second syllable.

C. Stress on penultimate syllable (penultimate = second from end)

rule	examples
Words ending in -ic	GRAPHic geoGRAPHic geoLOGic
Words ending in -sion and -tion	teleVIsion reveLAtion

For a few words, native English speakers don’t always «agree» on where to put the stress. For example, some people say teleVIsion and others say TELevision. Another example is: CONtroversy and conTROversy.

D. Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-penultimate = third from end)

rule	examples
Words ending in -cy, -ty, -phy and -gy	deMOcracy dependaBIlity phoTOgraphy geOLogy
Words ending in -al	CRItical geoLOGical

E. Compound words (words with two parts)

rule	examples
For compound nouns, the stress is on the first part	BLACKbird GREENhouse
For compound adjectives, the stress is on the second part	bad-TEMpered old-FASHioned
For compound verbs, the stress is on the second part	underSTAND overFLOW

Contributor: Josef Essberger

Updated: August 2020