Word stress in English: the rules
Every English word of two or more syllables has one syllable that is longer, louder and higher than the rest. Put the stress on the wrong one and the word may not be recognized at all, even if every sound is right. Eight rules predict the stress of most words.
Say them with the right stress
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- record/rəˈkɔrd/
- present/ˈprɛzənt/
- photograph/ˈfoʊtəˌɡræf/
- photography/fəˈtɑɡrəfi/
- photographic/ˌfoʊtəˈɡræfɪk/
- information/ˌɪnfɚˈmeɪʃən/
- economic/ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪk/
- develop/dɪˈvɛləp/
- comfortable/ˈkʌmfɚtəbəl/
- hotel/hoʊˈtɛl/
- event/ɪˈvɛnt/
- interesting/ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/
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Eight rules
- Two-syllable nouns and adjectives usually stress the first syllable: TAble, HAPpy, PREsent.
- Two-syllable verbs usually stress the second: beGIN, deCIDE, preSENT.
- Noun and verb pairs shift stress: a REcord, to reCORD; an INcrease, to inCREASE.
- -tion, -sion, -cian: stress the syllable before the ending: inforMAtion, deCIsion, muSIcian.
- -ic, -ical, -ity, -ify: stress the syllable before the ending: ecoNOmic, poLItical, aBIlity, iDENtify.
- -ee, -eer, -ese, -ette take the stress themselves: employEE, engiNEER, JapaNESE.
- Compound nouns stress the first part: BLACKboard, AIRport, SOFTware.
- Phrasal verbs stress the particle: turn OFF, give UP. The noun made from them stresses the first part: a LOGin, a BREAKdown.
Stress changes the vowels
Unstressed syllables do not keep their full vowel. They shrink to a schwa /ə/. That is why one root sounds so different across a word family.
| Word | Sounds like | Stress | |
|---|---|---|---|
| photograph | /ˈfoʊtəˌɡræf/ | Stress on the first syllable. | |
| photography | /fəˈtɑɡrəfi/ | Stress moves to the second; the first O becomes a schwa. | |
| photographic | /ˌfoʊtəˈɡræfɪk/ | Stress moves to the third. | |
| economy | /ɪˈkɑnəmi/ | Stress on the second. | |
| economic | /ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪk/ | Stress on the third, before -ic. |
Words learners stress wrongly
| Word | Sounds like | Where the stress goes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| hotel | /hoʊˈtɛl/ | Second syllable. | |
| event | /ɪˈvɛnt/ | Second syllable. | |
| develop | /dɪˈvɛləp/ | Second syllable, not the first or last. | |
| comfortable | /ˈkʌmfɚtəbəl/ | First syllable; three syllables in total. | |
| interesting | /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/ | First syllable; usually three syllables. | |
| colleague | /ˈkɑliɡ/ | First syllable. | |
| analysis | /əˈnæləsəs/ | Second syllable. | |
| determine | /dəˈtɝmən/ | Second syllable; the ending is “-min”, not “-mine”. | |
| category | /ˈkætəˌɡɔri/ | First syllable. | |
| purchase | /ˈpɝtʃəs/ | First syllable; the ending is weak. |
Questions people ask
How do I find the stress of a new word?
Dictionaries mark it with ˈ before the stressed syllable. Paste the word into the IPA tool on this site to see it.
Is stress the same in British and American English?
Mostly. Known differences include “adult”, “garage”, “address” and French loans such as “ballet” and “café”, which Americans stress on the last syllable.
Why was I not understood when my sounds were right?
Listeners identify words by their stress pattern first. A word with the stress on the wrong syllable is searched for under the wrong pattern and not found.
Related
- The schwa /ə/The weak “uh” that replaces vowels in unstressed syllables.
- Intonation and rhythmFalling, rising and fall-rise tones, sentence stress, and exercises for each.
- -ED endingsT, D or ID: the three sounds of the past tense ending and how to pick one.
- Text to IPA transcriptionPaste English text and get its phonetic transcription with stress marks.