English Word Stress Rules: Master Which Syllable Gets the Emphasis

This guide breaks down common word stress rules in American English — especially for words with suffixes like -ic, -tion, -sion, and -cal. You’ll see real examples, IPA, and native-style rhythm to speak with confidence.

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Why Word Stress Matters

In American English, word stress isn’t random — it’s a powerful system that signals meaning, rhythm, and clarity. Incorrect stress can confuse listeners or make your English sound unnatural. Master these patterns in longer words to speak with greater confidence and fluency.

2-Syllable Word Stress

• Nouns, Adjectives & Adverbs are stressed on the first syllable.
• Verbs & Prepositions are stressed on the second syllable.
• Exceptions exist in both groups—see below.

Nouns, Adjectives & Adverbs (Stress 1st)

Exceptions:

Verbs & Prepositions (Stress 2nd)

Stress Shifts: Nouns vs. Verbs

Many English words change their stress when you switch from the noun form to the verb form:

  • ADdress (n) /ˈæd.res/ – “Please check the mailing address.” YouGlish
    adDRESS (v) /əˈdrɛs/ – “We need to address this issue today.” YouGlish
  • PREsent (n) /ˈprɛz.ənt/ – “She gave me a birthday present.” YouGlish
    preSENT (v) /prɪˈzɛnt/ – “Please present the report.” YouGlish
  • REcord (n) /ˈrɛk.ərd/ – “He broke the world record.” YouGlish
    reCORD (v) /rɪˈkɔrd/ – “Can you record this lecture?” YouGlish
  • REbel (n) /ˈrɛb.əl/ – “The rebel army marched on.” YouGlish
    reBEL (v) /rɪˈbɛl/ – “They decided to rebel against the rules.” YouGlish
  • SUspect (n) /ˈsʌs.pɛkt/ – “The suspect was arrested.” YouGlish
    susPECT (v) /səˈspɛkt/ – “I suspect foul play.” YouGlish
  • CONtract (n) /ˈkɑn.trækt/ – “The contract was signed.” YouGlish
    conTRACT (v) /kənˈtrækt/ – “They’ll contract the company.” YouGlish
  • INcrease (n) /ˈɪn.kriːs/ – “We saw an increase in sales.” YouGlish
    inCREASE (v) /ɪnˈkriːs/ – “Please increase the volume.” YouGlish
  • PERmit (n) /ˈpɜr.mɪt/ – “You need a permit to park.” YouGlish
    perMIT (v) /pərˈmɪt/ – “They will not permit late entries.” YouGlish
  • PROtest (n) /ˈproʊ.test/ – “There was a protest downtown.” YouGlish
    proTEST (v) /proʊˈtest/ – “Citizens protest unfair laws.” YouGlish
  • REsearch (n) /ˈriː.sɜrtʃ/ – “Her research won an award.” YouGlish
    reSEARCH (v) /riːˈsɜrtʃ/ – “He will research the topic.” YouGlish

Exceptions

  • reSPECT (v) /rɪˈspɛkt/ – “We respect your opinion.” YouGlish
  • aLARM (v) /əˈlɑrm/ – “The noise alarms the neighbors.” YouGlish

Stress-Attracting Suffix Patterns

These common English suffixes (-ade, -ee, -ese, -eer, -ette, -oon, -que) always carry primary stress on the suffix itself. Below are frequently used examples for each suffix:

Suffix -ade

  • lemonADE /ˌlɛm.əˈneɪd/ YouGlish
  • arCADE /ɑːrˈkeɪd/ (arcade) YouGlish
  • graNADE /ɡrəˈneɪd/ (grenade) YouGlish
  • briGADE /brɪˈɡeɪd/ (brigade) YouGlish
  • cruSADE /kruːˈseɪd/ (crusade) YouGlish

Suffix -ee

  • emploYEE /ɛm.plɔɪˈiː/ (employee) YouGlish
  • guaranTEE /ˌɡær.ənˈtiː/ (guarantee) YouGlish
  • refuGEE /ˌrɛf.jəˈdʒiː/ (refugee) YouGlish
  • absenTEE /æbˈsen.tiː/ (absentee) YouGlish
  • trainEE /trəˈniː/ (trainee) YouGlish

Suffix -ese

  • JapanESE /ˌdʒæp.əˈniːz/ (Japanese) YouGlish
  • ChinESE /tʃaɪˈniːz/ (Chinese) YouGlish
  • PortuGUESE /ˌpɔːr.tʃəˈɡiːz/ (Portuguese) YouGlish
  • VietnamESE /ˌviː.et.nəˈmiːz/ (Vietnamese) YouGlish
  • sudaNESE /suː.dəˈniːz/ (Sudanese) YouGlish

Suffix -eer

  • engiNEER /ɛn.dʒɪˈnɪər/ (engineer) YouGlish
  • voluntEER /ˌvɑː.lənˈtɪər/ (volunteer) YouGlish
  • buccaNEER /ˌbʌk.əˈnɪər/ (buccaneer) YouGlish
  • auctionEER /ˌɔːk.ʃəˈnɪər/ (auctioneer) YouGlish
  • mountainEER /ˌmaʊn.tənˈɪər/ (mountaineer) YouGlish

Suffix -ette

  • kitchenETTE /ˌkɪt.ʃəˈnɛt/ (kitchenette) YouGlish
  • marionETTE /ˌmær.i.əˈnɛt/ (marionette) YouGlish
  • barreTTE /bəˈrɛt/ (barrette) YouGlish
  • gazeTTE /ɡəˈzɛt/ (gazette) YouGlish
  • cassETTE /kæˈsɛt/ (cassette) YouGlish

Exceptions:

  • OMElette /ˈɑːm.lət/ (omelette) – stress on the first syllable YouGlish

Suffix -oon

  • baLLOON /bəˈlun/ (balloon) YouGlish
  • carTOON /kɑrˈtun/ (cartoon) YouGlish
  • afterNOON /ˌæf.tərˈnun/ (afternoon) YouGlish
  • raCOON /rəˈkun/ (raccoon) YouGlish
  • plaTOON /pləˈtun/ (platoon) YouGlish

Suffix -que

Penultimate Stress Patterns

Words ending in -ic, -tion, -sion typically have stress on the second-to-last syllable. Common examples include:

Suffix -ic

Suffix -tion

Suffix -sion

Antepenultimate Stress Patterns

Words ending in -cy, -ty, -phy, -gy, -al typically have stress on the third-to-last syllable. Common examples include:

Suffix -cy

Suffix -ty

Suffix -phy

Suffix -gy

Suffix -al

Compound Word Stress

In compound words, stress placement depends on part of speech:

Compound Nouns (stress on first element)

Compound Adjectives (stress on second element)

Compound Verbs (stress on second element)

Phrasal Verbs & Noun Stress Shifts

English phrasal verbs place primary stress on the particle, but when the same word is a noun, stress shifts to the first element of the compound noun.

Phrasal Verb Stress (particle stressed)

  • pick UP /pɪk ʌp/ – “Can you pick up some milk?”
  • set OFF /sɛt ɔf/ – “We’ll set off at dawn.”
  • turn DOWN /tɜːrn daʊn/ – “She turned down the invitation.”
  • look AFTER /lʊk ˈæf.tər/ – “Can you look after the kids?”
  • break IN /breɪk ɪn/ – “They break in the new employees.”

Verb vs. Related Noun

  • check IN (verb) vs. CHECK-in (noun)
  • set UP (verb) vs. SET-up (noun)
  • break DOWN (verb) vs. BREAK-down (noun)
  • log IN (verb) vs. LOG-in (noun)
  • make UP (verb) vs. MAKE-up (noun)

Acronyms & Initialisms

Shortened names can be read as acronyms (like words) or initialisms (letter by letter). Acronyms follow normal word-stress rules, while initialisms emphasize the final letter.

Acronyms (word stress)

  • NASA /ˈnæs.ə/ – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • NATO /ˈneɪ.toʊ/ – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  • RADAR /ˈreɪ.dɑːr/ – Radio Detection and Ranging
  • SCUBA /ˈskuː.bə/ – Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
  • LASER /ˈleɪ.zər/ – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

Exception: UNESCO /juːˈnɛs.koʊ/ – United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

Initialisms (final-letter stress)

  • F-B-I /ˌɛf.biːˈaɪ/ – Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • C-I-A /ˌsiː.aɪˈeɪ/ – Central Intelligence Agency
  • N-B-A /ˌɛn.biːˈeɪ/ – National Basketball Association
  • B-A /ˌbiːˈeɪ/ – Bachelor of Arts
  • B-S /ˌbiːˈɛs/ – Bachelor of Science
  • J-D /ˌdʒeɪˈdiː/ – Juris Doctor
  • P-H-D /ˌpiː.eɪtʃˈdiː/ – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
  • M-B-A /ˌɛm.biːˈeɪ/ – Master of Business Administration
  • U-S-A /ˌjuː.esˈeɪ/ – United States of America

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Want more practice with rhythm and stress?

• Explore the Stressed vs. Unstressed Syllables lesson
• Learn how to hear Schwa in real speech
• Master vowel contrast in the AH [ɑ] vowel

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