Lesson 5 of 6
Word Stress
Stress the right syllable so people understand you the first time.
Native speakers recognize words mainly by their stress pattern. You can have perfect sounds, but if you stress the wrong syllable, Americans may not understand you. Wrong stress causes more confusion than a foreign accent.
LearnThe key ideas
What stress sounds like
A stressed syllable is louder, longer and higher in pitch. The unstressed syllables around it get shorter and weaker, often reduced to a quick "uh" sound (the schwa /ə/).
In "banana" only the middle syllable is strong: buh-NA-nuh. The first and last vowels are both weak schwas.
Stress that moves
| Word | Stress | Related word | Stress |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHO-to-graph | 1st | pho-TOG-ra-phy | 2nd |
| E-co-nom-y | 2nd: e-CON-o-my | e-co-NOM-ic | 3rd |
| a-NAL-y-sis | 2nd | AN-a-lyze | 1st |
| REC-ord (noun) | 1st | re-CORD (verb) | 2nd |
Noun vs verb
Many two-syllable words stress the first syllable as nouns and the second as verbs: a PREsent / to preSENT, a REcord / to reCORD, a PROject / to proJECT, an OBject / to obJECT.
ListenListen and repeat
- I need to develop my skills.de-VEL-op, not DE-ve-lop.
- The hotel is downtown.ho-TEL, stress on the second syllable.
- Let's record a new record.re-CORD (verb), REC-ord (noun).
- It's a comfortable chair.COMF-ter-ble: three syllables in American speech.
AvoidCommon mistakes
SpeakShadowing practice
Press Listen, then repeat straight away, copying the speed, rhythm and tone. Say each sentence three times, then record yourself.
- I'd like to present my project to the committee.
- Photography is a great hobby for a photographer.
- We need to analyze the analysis again.
CheckQuick quiz
1. Where is the stress in "develop"?
2. "Can you reCORD this?" Here "record" is a:
3. Unstressed vowels in English usually become:
PracticeToday's speaking task
Pick 10 words you use often at work or school. Check their stress in a dictionary (the ˈ mark comes before the stressed syllable) and say each one 5 times.