What is word stress? All words with two or more syllables have one vowel sound stronger than the others: TEACHer, JaPAN, CHINa, aBOVE, converSAtion, INteresting, imPORtant, deMAND, etCETera.

The syllables that are not stressed are «weak,» «small,» or «quiet.» Native speakers of English listen for the stressed syllables, not the weak syllables. If you use word stress in your speech, you will instantly and automatically improve your pronunciation and your comprehension.

Basic Word Stress Rules

There are two very simple rules about word stress:

One word has only one stress: One word cannot have two stresses. If you hear two stresses, you hear two words; two stresses cannot be one word. (Note: While some long words have a «secondary» stress, it is much smaller than the main primary stress).
We can only stress vowels, not consonants: Stress applies strictly to vowel sounds.

Here are some basic general rules that can help you understand where to put the stress, though you should remember there are many exceptions. It is always best to try to «feel» the music of the language and add the stress naturally.

Stress on the First Syllable

Most 2-syllable nouns: PRESent, EXport, CHIna, TAble
Most 2-syllable adjectives: PRESent, SLENder, CLEVer, HAPpy
Most -ly ending standard adverbs: PRESently, CLEVerly, HAPpily

Stress on the Last / Second Syllable

Most 2-syllable verbs: preSENT, exPORT, deCIDE, beGIN

There are many two-syllable words in English whose meaning and class change with a shift in stress. For example, present stressed on the first syllable is a noun (gift) or adjective, but stressed on the second syllable, it becomes a verb (to offer). Other pairs include export, import, contract, and object.

«I am going to preSENT you with a PRESent because you are preSENT.»
«I exPORT a lot of EXports.»
«I recORD a RECord.»
«I am going to conTRACT with a CONtract.»

Stress on the Penultimate (Second from Last) Syllable

Words ending in -ic: GRAPHic, geoGRAPHic, geoLOGic, photoGRAPHic
Words ending in -sion and -tion: teleVIsion, reveLAtion

Note: Native speakers sometimes disagree on a few words, such as teleVIsion vs. TELevision, or CONtroversy vs. conTROversy.

Stress on the Ante-Penultimate (Third from Last) Syllable

Words ending in -cy, -ty, -phy, and -gy: deMOcracy, dependaBIlity, phoTOgraphy, geOLogy
Words ending in -al: CRItical, geoLOGical

Compound Words Rule

Compound nouns: Stress is on the first part (e.g., BLACKbird, GREENhouse).
Compound adjectives: Stress is on the second part (e.g., bad-TEMpered, old-FASHioned).
Compound verbs: Stress is on the second part (e.g., underSTAND, overFLOW).

The Evolution of Stress and Vowel Changes

Notice how word families shift not only their stress, but also their vowel types. Consider this progression:

Photo: /’fəʊtəʊ/ PHOto (stressed on the first syllable as a 2-syllable noun).
Photograph: /’fəʊtəgrɑːf/ (compound word where the diphthong /əʊ/ in the second syllable of photo changes to a neutral, unstressed schwa).
Photography: pho’tography (stress shifts due to the ante-penultimate syllable rule).
Photographer: pho’tographer (also ante-penultimate stress).
Photographic: photo’graphic (stress shifts to the third syllable due to the penultimate rule for words ending in -ic).

Easy? Haha!

Sentence Stress: The Golden Key

Sentence stress is another vital key for speaking and understanding English. In a sentence, some words are STRESSED (loud) while other words are weak and quiet (often reduced to schwas).

We make important content words BIG and unimportant grammar words small:

We WANT to GO.
We WANT to GO to WORK.
We DON’T WANT to GO to WORK.
We DON’T WANT to GO to WORK at NIGHT.

However, shifting sentence stress changes the meaning entirely:

WE want to go (meaning us, not someone else)
We WANT to go (meaning we really do want to go)
We want to GO (e.g., not come)

When you want to emphasize a specific word, you drop the schwa to add vocal weight. You should know that in a sentence, word stress is very important!

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