1 Count the Syllables

A syllable is a beat with one vowel sound in it. Count sounds, not letters – English spelling often has more vowels than you hear. Typical German-speaker traps are the -ed ending and words that lose a syllable in speech.

2 Stressed vs Unstressed Syllables

Wrong stress can make a word hard to recognise or change its meaning. A one-syllable word has no word-stress problem – but in a sentence, small function words like a, to, of are usually weak.

3 Two-Syllable Words

Some words change stress with their job: a present – to present. See Stress-Shift Words.

4 Tap the Stress

Say each word aloud, then tap the stressed syllable. Watch out for the exceptions!

5 Longer Words: Primary and Secondary Stress

Longer words have one primary (strongest) stress and sometimes a weaker secondary stress.

In dictionaries: ˈ = primary stress, ˌ = secondary stress – always placed before the syllable. Learn to read these marks; it’s the quickest way to check a new word. More on Three- and Four-Syllable Words.

6 Compounds and Meaning

7 Stress in Sentences and the Schwa

Content words – nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs – are usually stressed. Function words – articles, prepositions, auxiliaries, pronouns – are usually weak.

The schwa /ə/ is the most common vowel sound in English. It lives in unstressed syllables and weak words:

English is often described as stress-timed: the rhythm is built around the stressed syllables.

8 How to Practise

1. Clap on the stressed syllable: table · teacher · information.
2. Underline the stressed syllable of every new word you write down.
3. Check the stress mark ˈ in a dictionary.
4. Read aloud and exaggerate the stress at first.
5. Practise pairs like REcord / reCORD in short sentences.
6. Listen and repeat after native speakers.
7. Record yourself and compare.

9 Quiz: Stress Basics

Choose the best answer. You’ll see the explanation straight away.