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 hotel  experience  professional

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 understand  represent

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.

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 - 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 - necessary - ˈsecreˌtary - 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 - exˌperiˈmental - reˌsponsiˈbility

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/centre - color/colour - 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/-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/-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
 * 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 //:
 * 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
 * //: technique
 * Third syllable
 * //: 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 // 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 - adult/adult - advertisement/advertisement - composite/composite - controversy (traditional pronunciation, both and )/controversy (new pronunciation, peculiarly ) - kilometre/kilometre - transference/transference

This is particularly noticeable in French borrowings.
 * ballet/ballet - chauffeur/chauffeur - fiancé(e)/fiancé(e) - garage/garage - lingerie/lingerie

Many words that have a secondary stress in American English don't pronunce that vowel in British English:
 * cemetery /ˈsməˌtriː/ - /ˈsmətriː/
 * military /ˈmɪləˌtriː/ - /ˈmɪlətriː/
 * ordinary /ˈɔːrdənˌriː/ - /ˈɔːrdənriː/
 * secretary /ˈskrəˌtriː/ - /ˈskrətriː/
 * temporary /ˈtempərriː/ - /ˈtemprəriː/

In other cases the vowel is a schwa in British English.
 * laboratory /ˈlæbrəˌtɔːriː/ - /ləˈbɒrətriː/
 * adversary /ˈædvərˌseriː/ - /ˈædvərsəriː/
 * capillary: /ˈkæpəˌleriː/ - /kəˈpɪləriː/
 * category /ˈkætəɡɔːriː/ - /ˈkætəɡəriː/
 * customary /ˈkʌstəˌmeriː/ - /ˈkʌstəməriː/
 * literary /ˈlɪtəˌreriː/ - /ˈlɪtərəriː/
 * necessary /ˈnsəˌsriː/ - /ˈnsəsəriː/
 * rosemary /ˈrəʊzˌmeriː/ - /ˈrəʊzməriː/

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, , , , or. Even the word cartel is pronounced "cártel" by many people when speaking Spanish.