In every English word with two or more syllables, one syllable is stressed: it is louder, longer and clearer. Putting the stress in the wrong place can make a word hard to recognise, even if every sound is right.
Four patterns
These are tendencies, not laws, but they work most of the time.
| Pattern | Stress goes on… | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Most two-syllable nouns and adjectives | the first syllable | TEAcher, TAble, HAPpy |
| Most two-syllable verbs | the second syllable | deCIDE, beGIN, rePEAT |
| Words ending in -tion, -sion, -ic, -ity | the syllable just before the ending | inforMAtion, ecOnomy, elecTRIcity |
| Same word as noun and as verb | noun: first · verb: second | a PREsent / to preSENT, a REcord / to reCORD |
Find the stress
Which syllable is stressed?
Each word is split into syllables. Click the one that gets the stress.
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