Word stress in English: 6 rules, examples and practice

Why word stress matters

Listeners recognise English words largely by their stress pattern. If you say “comFORtable” instead of COMfortable, people may not understand the word at first, even if every sound is right. Stress can also change the meaning or the word class:

• DEsert (a dry place) vs deSSERT (sweet food)
• PREsent (a gift, or now) vs preSENT (to show)
• REcord (a noun) vs reCORD (a verb)

6 word stress rules

1. Two-syllable nouns and adjectives: stress the first syllable

TAble, WAter, HAPpy, BUSy, DOCtor, MOther, PREtty, CLEver. Exceptions: hoTEL, caREER, aLONE.

2. Two-syllable verbs: stress the second syllable

deCIDE, reLAX, beGIN, forGET, exPLAIN, inVITE, aGREE. Exceptions: OPen, LISten, VISit, HAPpen.

3. Noun and verb pairs: noun first, verb second

4. Words ending in -tion, -sion, -ic, -ity, -ical: stress the syllable just before

inforMAtion, deCIsion, draMAtic, ecoNOmic, aBIlity, elecTRIcity, poLItical.

5. Words ending in -ee, -eer, -ese, -ique: stress the ending

emploYEE, refuGEE, engiNEER, volunTEER, ChiNESE, JapaNESE, uNIQUE, techNIQUE.

6. Compound nouns: stress the first part

BEDroom, TOOTHbrush, BLACKboard, BUS stop, AIRport, LAPtop. Compare a BLACKboard (in a classroom) with a black BOARD (any board that is black).

Stress moves in word families

When you add an ending, the stress often moves. Learn these families together:

Commonly mis-stressed words

These everyday words are often stressed wrongly by learners. Say each one out loud with the capital syllable strong:

Unstressed syllables are weak

Stress isn’t only about making one syllable strong; it’s also about making the others weak. In most unstressed syllables the vowel becomes a short “uh” sound, the schwa: baNAna sounds like “buh-NAH-nuh”, and DOCtor like “DOC-tuh”.

Many learners give every syllable the same weight, especially speakers of languages where all syllables are similar in length. Weakening the unstressed syllables often makes a bigger difference to how natural you sound than getting every sound perfect.

How to practise word stress

1. Check the dictionary mark. Dictionaries show stress with a small mark (ˈ) before the stressed syllable: /ˈteɪbl/. Note it whenever you learn a new word.
2. Tap or clap the rhythm. Tap strongly on the stressed syllable and lightly on the others: ba-NA-na = tap-TAP-tap.
3. Exaggerate first. Make the stressed syllable much longer and louder than feels natural, then relax it.
4. Learn word families together, like PHOtograph, phoTOgrapher, photoGRAPHic.
5. Use the words in sentences and record yourself. Stress is easier to hear when you listen back.

Word stress works together with how words join in sentences: see linking sounds in English, and how your pitch moves in English intonation. To put it together in one accent, see American accent training. Working on a specific sound too? Try the TH sound.