Key points
- Every English word with two or more syllables has one syllable that is stronger: longer, louder and higher in pitch.
- Most two-syllable nouns and adjectives stress the first syllable (TAble, HAPpy); most two-syllable verbs stress the second (reLAX, beGIN).
- Endings such as -tion, -sion, -ic, -ity and -ial put the stress on the syllable just before them (eduCAtion, aBIlity).
- Unstressed syllables usually shrink to the schwa /ə/. Getting stress wrong confuses listeners more than getting a single sound wrong.
On this page
- What is word stress?
- Rule 1: two-syllable nouns, adjectives and verbs
- Rule 2: same spelling, different stress
- Rule 3: endings that move the stress
- How stress moves inside word families
- Rule 4: compound nouns, compound adjectives and phrasal verbs
- Sentence stress and weak forms
- How to practise word stress
- FAQ
What is word stress?
In a word with more than one syllable, one syllable is stressed: it is said a little longer, louder and on a higher note. The other syllables are weaker, and their vowels often become the schwa /ə/.
Examples
banana /bəˈnɑːnə/: ba-NA-na. Only the middle A is a full vowel.
computer /kəmˈpjuːtə/: com-PU-ter.
Native listeners recognise words by their stress pattern first. If you say com-pu-TER, people may not understand you even if every sound is right. In dictionaries, the mark ˈ comes just before the stressed syllable.
Rule 1: two-syllable nouns, adjectives and verbs
Nouns and adjectives: usually the first syllable
Examples
table, window, doctor, happy, clever, yellow
Common exceptions: hotel, machine, police, advice, mistake.
Verbs and prepositions: usually the second syllable
Examples
relax, begin, decide, forget, between, above
Common exceptions: open, answer, study, visit, happen, enter.
Rule 2: same spelling, different stress
Many words are both a noun and a verb. The noun stresses the first syllable, the verb the second, and the vowels change with the stress.
| Word | Noun (first syllable) | Verb (second syllable) |
|---|---|---|
| record | a REcord /ˈrekɔːd/ | to reCORD /rɪˈkɔːd/ |
| present | a PREsent /ˈpreznt/ | to preSENT /prɪˈzent/ |
| object | an OBject /ˈɒbdʒɪkt/ | to obJECT /əbˈdʒekt/ |
| increase | an INcrease /ˈɪŋkriːs/ | to inCREASE /ɪnˈkriːs/ |
| permit | a PERmit /ˈpɜːmɪt/ | to perMIT /pəˈmɪt/ |
| progress | PROgress /ˈprəʊɡres/ | to proGRESS /prəˈɡres/ |
| desert | a DEsert /ˈdezət/ | to deSERT /dɪˈzɜːt/ |
The verb desert sounds exactly like dessert (the sweet course): both are /dɪˈzɜːt/.
Rule 3: endings that move the stress
Stress on the syllable just before the ending
-tion, -sion, -ic, -ical, -ity, -ial, -ian, -ious, -ify
| Ending | Examples |
|---|---|
| -tion / -sion | education, decision, information |
| -ic / -ical | economic, scientific, political |
| -ity | ability, university, electricity |
| -ial / -ian | official, musician, Canadian |
| -ious / -eous | delicious, ambitious, courageous |
| -ify | identify, classify, justify |
Stress on the third syllable from the end
-graphy, -logy, -ate (in words of three or more syllables)
Examples
photography, biology, geography, communicate, concentrate, appreciate
Endings that take the stress themselves
-ee, -eer, -ese, -ique, -oo, -oon
Examples
refugee, guarantee, engineer, volunteer, Japanese, unique, technique, bamboo, balloon
Endings that do not change the stress
-ment, -ness, -ful, -less, -er, -ly, -ing, -ed: the stress stays where it was in the base word.
Examples
employ → employment, happy → happiness, beauty → beautiful
How stress moves inside word families
When a suffix moves the stress, the vowels change too: the newly stressed vowel becomes full, and the old one weakens to a schwa. Learn word families together.
| Word | IPA | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| photograph | /ˈfəʊtəɡrɑːf/ | PHO-to-graph |
| photographer | /fəˈtɒɡrəfə/ | pho-TO-gra-pher |
| photographic | /ˌfəʊtəˈɡræfɪk/ | pho-to-GRA-phic |
| economy | /ɪˈkɒnəmi/ | e-CO-no-my |
| economic | /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/ | e-co-NO-mic |
Rule 4: compound nouns, compound adjectives and phrasal verbs
Compound nouns: stress the first part
Examples
airport, bookshop, toothbrush, greenhouse, blackboard
Compound adjectives and phrasal verbs: stress the second part
Examples
old-fashioned, well-known, bad-tempered, get up, turn off, give up
Stress can change the meaning: a GREENhouse is a glass building for plants, but a green HOUSE is any house painted green.
Sentence stress and weak forms
Stress works at sentence level too. Content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs, negatives) are stressed. Function words (articles, prepositions, pronouns, auxiliaries) are usually weak and short.
Examples
I WANT to GO to the BEACH on SUNday.
/aɪ ˈwɒnt tə ˈɡəʊ tə ðə ˈbiːtʃ ɒn ˈsʌndeɪ/
Notice to becomes /tə/, not /tuː/. These weak forms are explained in the connected speech lesson. Moving the stress also changes the message: "I didn't take it" (someone else did) versus "I didn't take it" (I only borrowed it).
How to practise word stress
- When you learn a new word, write it with the stressed syllable in capitals: deVElopment.
- Clap or tap the table on the stressed syllable as you say the word.
- Hum the rhythm without the sounds: da-DA-da-da for development.
- Check the ˈ mark in the dictionary for every new word of three syllables or more.
Frequently asked questions
Are there fixed rules for word stress in English?
There are reliable patterns but no rule without exceptions. The most dependable are the suffix rules: words ending in -tion, -sion, -ic and -ity stress the syllable just before the ending. For other words, check the stress mark in a dictionary.
How do I know which syllable is stressed in a dictionary?
Look for the small vertical mark ˈ in the IPA transcription. It comes just before the stressed syllable, so /ˈteɪbl/ is TA-ble and /rɪˈlæks/ is re-LAX.
Why does stress matter so much?
Listeners use the stress pattern to recognise words. A wrongly stressed word can be harder to understand than a word with one wrong sound, and in pairs like REcord and reCORD the stress changes the meaning.