Word stress: which syllable is stressed?
In a word with several syllables, one usually stands out through a mix of length, vowel clarity, pitch and sometimes loudness. Photograph is stressed on the first syllable. Add -er and photographer moves the stress to the second. Learn to hear where it falls.
Play
Ten words a round and three lives. Press play, listen for the syllable that stands out, then click it. After each answer you see the reviewed stress pattern. Each round gets harder.
Listening practice only: the game does not use your microphone, record your voice or assess your pronunciation.
Two syllables · Which syllable is stressed?
Press 1 to 6 to choose a syllable, Space to play again, Enter to continue.
Run finished
Five stress rules worth learning
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| -tion, -sion, -cian Stress the syllable before the ending | inforMAtion · eduCAtion · deCIsion · poliTIcian |
| -ic, -ical Also the syllable before the ending | ecoNOmic · photoGRAphic · poLItical |
| -ity The second syllable before the ending | opporTUnity · uniVERsity · aBIlity |
| Two-syllable tendency Many nouns and adjectives stress the first syllable; many verbs stress the second | TAble · HAPpy · beGIN · deCIDE |
| Same spelling, different stress In some pairs, the stress shows the part of speech | REcord (noun) / reCORD (verb) · OBject (noun) / obJECT (verb) |
These are useful patterns, not complete rules. Check an unfamiliar word in a pronunciation dictionary. The reviewed answers here follow General American; other accents and some individual words can differ.
Why stress matters
Listeners use stress to find the word
Say photographer as PHO-to-gra-pher and a listener may need a moment to work out the word. Its stress pattern is an important part of how listeners recognise it.
Stressed syllables are full; the others are short
In English, prominent syllables are often clearer or longer, while nearby unstressed syllables may be shorter. In I WENT to the SHOP to BUY some BREAD, the capitalised words can carry the phrase-level beat. Word stress and sentence stress are related, but they are not the same thing.
Stress changes the vowels
Unstressed vowels often become a weak sound, /ə/. In banana, only the middle a is a full vowel; the first and last are /ə/. Find the stress first and the weak syllables are easy to spot.
Keep practising
Consonants or vowels that sound alike? Try minimal pairs. For vowels, read ship or sheep?
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