Word stress

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.

IPA symbol

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

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

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

Nouns, etc.

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

Two syllables

• 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

• 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

• 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

Two syllables

• 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

• 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

• 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

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

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

• 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

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) - 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

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

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

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.