Ударение в словах

When it matters

Every English word of two or more syllables has one syllable that is stronger than the others. Native listeners rely on this stress pattern to recognise words, often more than on the individual sounds. If the stress is in the wrong place, a word you pronounce perfectly can still be misunderstood, while a word with a slightly wrong vowel but correct stress is usually understood at once. Stress also separates some pairs of words, such as the noun a record and the verb to record.

How it works

A stressed syllable is louder, longer and usually higher in pitch, and its vowel is pronounced fully. Unstressed syllables are shorter and quieter, and their vowel is often reduced to the weak sound /ə/, called schwa. In banana /bəˈnɑːnə/ only the middle syllable is strong; the first and last are /ə/.

Dictionaries mark the stressed syllable with a small vertical line ˈ placed before it: teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/, begin /bɪˈɡɪn/. Long words can also have a weaker, secondary stress, marked ˌ low down: information /ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃn/.

Ukrainian and Russian also have free stress that can fall on any syllable and can change meaning (за́мок and замо́к), so the idea is familiar. What is new is the patterns. English stress is not fully predictable, but these rules are reliable enough to use:

• Most two-syllable nouns and adjectives are stressed on the first syllable: ˈtable, ˈwindow, ˈhappy. There are exceptions, such as hoˈtel and adˈvice.
• Most two-syllable verbs are stressed on the second syllable: deˈcide, forˈget, reˈlax. Again there are exceptions: ˈvisit, ˈhappen.
• Some words are both a noun and a verb, and the stress shows which one you mean: the noun is stressed on the first syllable, the verb on the second. A ˈrecord, to reˈcord; a ˈpresent, to preˈsent; an ˈincrease, to inˈcrease.
• Words ending in -tion, -sion, -ic, -ical and -ity are stressed on the syllable just before the ending: eduˈcation, ecoˈnomic, possiˈbility. Because of this, stress moves inside a word family: ˈphotograph, phoˈtographer, photoˈgraphic.
• Endings such as -ment, -ness, -ful, -less and -er do not move the stress: ˈhappy, ˈhappiness; emˈploy, emˈployment.
• The endings -ee and -eer take the stress themselves: emploˈyee, engiˈneer.
• Compound nouns are usually stressed on the first part: ˈbedroom, ˈclassroom, ˈhomework, ˈairport.
• Phrasal verbs are stressed on the particle: wake ˈup, turn ˈoff.

When you learn a new word, learn its stress together with its spelling. The dictionary page shows it in the transcription.

Practice words

Noun or verb:

Word	Sound	Compare with
record, noun	/ˈrekɔːd/	verb /rɪˈkɔːd/
present, noun	/ˈpreznt/	verb /prɪˈzent/
increase, noun	/ˈɪŋkriːs/	verb /ɪnˈkriːs/
object, noun	/ˈɒbdʒɪkt/	verb /əbˈdʒekt/
export, noun	/ˈekspɔːt/	verb /ɪkˈspɔːt/
desert, noun	/ˈdezət/	dessert /dɪˈzɜːt/

Word families:

Word	Sound	Compare with
photograph	/ˈfəʊtəɡrɑːf/	photographer /fəˈtɒɡrəfə/, photographic /ˌfəʊtəˈɡræfɪk/
economy	/ɪˈkɒnəmi/	economic /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/
educate	/ˈedʒukeɪt/	education /ˌedʒuˈkeɪʃn/
possible	/ˈpɒsəbl/	possibility /ˌpɒsəˈbɪləti/
employ	/ɪmˈplɔɪ/	employee /ˌemplɔɪˈiː/, employment /ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/

Words that look like Ukrainian or Russian ones:

Word	Sound	Compare with
internet	/ˈɪntənet/	інтерне́т, интерне́т
document	/ˈdɒkjumənt/	докуме́нт
character	/ˈkærəktə/	хара́ктер
category	/ˈkætəɡəri/	катего́рія, катего́рия
atmosphere	/ˈætməsfɪə/	атмосфе́ра
concert	/ˈkɒnsət/	конце́рт

Common mistakes

• ✗ interˈnet, docuˈment, atmosˈphere
  ✓ ˈinternet, ˈdocument, ˈatmosphere
  The Ukrainian or Russian twin pulls the stress to its own place. Words that look international are exactly the ones worth checking in the dictionary.
• ✗ I want to ˈrecord a video. I bought a preˈsent.
  ✓ I want to reˈcord a video. I bought a ˈpresent.
  With these pairs the stress carries the grammar. Nouns go first, verbs go second.
• ✗ /ˈbɑːnɑːnɑː/, /ˈtʃɒkəleɪt/
  ✓ /bəˈnɑːnə/, /ˈtʃɒklət/
  Unstressed syllables in English are weak and often reduced to /ə/. Russian speakers already do something similar (молоко sounds like малако). Ukrainian keeps unstressed о and а clear, so Ukrainian speakers need to practise the reduction more consciously.
• ✗ phoˈtograph, ˈphotographer
  ✓ ˈphotograph, phoˈtographer
  Stress moves within a word family, so one member does not tell you the stress of another. Learn each form separately.
• ✗ /kʌmˈfɔːtəbl/
  ✓ /ˈkʌmftəbl/
  Comfortable is stressed on the first syllable, and in normal speech it has only three syllables. Compare Russian комфо́ртный, which is stressed on the second.

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