A syllable is a unit of speech which is single and has a sound. It may have a vowel sound or one or more consonants before or after it. For example, ‘if’ is a mono-syllabic word. A mono-syllabic word is a word containing one syllable. On the other hand, a poly-syllabic word is a word containing more than one syllable, for example, ‘under’. In poly-syllabic words, a syllable is stressed, meaning it sounds more prominent than the other syllable in word.
For example, in the word ‘beheaded’, ‘head’ is the stressed syllable, whereas ‘be’ and ‘ded’ remain unstressed. There is a change in the pitch of voice while saying the stressed syllable out loud. Therefore, a stressed syllable is the syllable which has more emphasis than the other syllables in a word. And, an unstressed syllable is the syllable which we don’t emphasize. So, let’s take a look at the stressed and unstressed syllables in words with their examples.
Stressed Syllable Words List
Almost all poly-syllabic words have a stressed syllable in them. You can find them out by noticing the syllable which has been emphasized in the word.
| ahead | amended | radiator | abbreviated | authoritarian |
| wonderful | although | genius | incredibly | frustrating |
| appreciate | implicit | explain | allege | emphatic |
| demonstrable | cause | because | invoke | hoodwink |
| acoustic | confront | confirm | recite | devout |
| exploit | beauty | beautiful | deactivate | accuse |
Words have different stressed syllables. It can be the first syllable, the second syllable, any syllable in the middle, or the final syllable. So, here is a list of examples according to the stressed syllable.
1. Words with the Stress on First Syllable
Here are examples of words where we put stress on the first syllable to correctly pronounce them.
| government | question | office | power | money |
| family | country | service | area | order |
| council | interest | person | problem | body |
| father | management | morning | century | air |
| language | union | paper | quality | cost |
| girl | future | movement | city | action |
| issue | manager | capital | table | moment |
| chairman | basis | record | other | series |
| chapter | music | theory | structure | reason |
| practice | president | study | section | subject |
| own | local | second | possible | major |
| certain | likely | special | little | national |
| large | public | difficult | old | social |
| right | only | able | open | human |
| personal | middle | early | real | long |
| middle | ordinary | famous | nuclear | western |
| soviet | regional | regular | powerful | technical |
| very | suitable | quiet | ancient | busy |
| corporate | yellow | valuable | friendly | sensitive |
| crucial | roman | communist | massive | comfortable |
2. Words with Stress on Second Syllable
Following is the list of words where stress is put on the second syllable to pronounce it.
| society | idea | experience | decision | approach |
| police | community | support | result | account |
| production | example | control | position | committee |
| research | effect | report | authority | award |
| computer | security | success | performance | agreement |
| material | design | activity | technology | employment |
| commission | division | provision | discussion | protection |
| proportion | construction | procedure | assembly | debate |
| opinion | curriculum | description | consumer | republic |
| impression | location | comparison | resistance | foundation |
| mistake | alternative | inquiry | priority | defendant |
| awareness | regime | intelligence | convention | minority |
| command | consent | abuse | requirement | defendant |
| identity | recovery | efficiency | liability | request |
| initiative | career | expression | supply | existence |
| review | attack | advantage | solution | relief |
| complexity | diagnosis | divorce | pursuit | tribunal |
| portfolio | adviser | receiver | repair | integrity |
| adventure | attraction | exclusion | embarrassment | apartment |
| imprisonment | criterion | compliance | morality | humanity |
3. Words with Stress on Third Syllable
| volunteer | contradict | override | overlap | overthrow |
| disregard | underpin | underlie | disappoint | overrun |
| intercept | overwhelm | disapprove | recollect | overdo |
| engineer | disentangle | overflow | discontinue | apprehend |
| resurrect | contravene | supersede | rehabilitate | intersect |
| disillusion | referee | overhaul | disconnect | acquiesce |
| disobey | coalesce | disbelieve | intermediate | overshadow |
| overpower | disengage | decompose | disembark | overstate |
| subdivide | re-evaluate | disallow | recapitulate | reminisce |
| overheat | overstep | disassociate | reconnoitre | interbreed |
| recompense | disavow | realign | disembodied | overwork |
| convalesce | overlie | interpose | disinfect | circumnavigate |
| excommunicate | deconstruct | decontrol | interject | disconcert |
| institutionalize | appertain | condescend | disambiguate | interweave |
| proposition | disrespect | disabuse | dispossess | operationalize |
| disenfranchise | dislocate | equilibrate | countermand | barricade |
| dehydrate | overeat | overweening | overhang | deselect |
| decompress | satiate | disassemble | silhouette | overwear |
| mountaineer | overuse | overbear | disinter | intermeddle |
| dematerialize | souvenir | misconceive | reassume | decontrolled |
So, these were the stressed syllable example words. There are tonnes of words with stress in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth syllable and so on. It is quite easy to identify once you pay attention to it.
Stressing the right part of a syllable is a way to bring attention to the word.
Unstressed Syllable Words List
As mentioned earlier, an unstressed syllable is the syllable which is not emphasized in the word. In poly-syllabic words, except the stressed syllable, all remaining syllables of a certain words are unstressed. But we can’t stress mono-syllabic words. We can only stress a syllable when it is more than one. A word basically has one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables. So, let’s take a look at some unstressed syllable words.
| bit | bite | Black | blade | blame |
| bland | blank | bleak | blind | block |
| blond | blood | blow | blue | blunt |
| board | boast | boat | boil | bold |
| bomb | Bond | bone | Book | boom |
| boost | boot | check | cheek | cheer |
| cheese | cheque | chest | chief | child |
| chip | choice | choose | church | cite |
| claim | clash | class | clause | Clay |
| clean | clear | clerk | cliff | climb |
| cling | clock | close | cloth | cloud |
| club | clue | dish | disk | DNA |
| DO | dock | dog | door | dose |
| doubt | dour | Down | drab | draft |
| drain | draw | dream | dress | drift |
| drink | drive | drop | drown | drug |
| drunk | dry | duck | duke | dull |
| dumb | dump | dust | ear | earl |
| earn | Earth | ease | gain | game |
| gang | gap | gas | gasp | gate |
| gaunt | gay | gaze | gear | gene |
| get | ghost | gift | girl | give |
| glad | glance | glass | go | goal |
| God | gold | golf | good | grab |
| grade | grain | grand | Grant | grasp |
| Grass | grave | great | Green | greet |
| Grey | grim | grin | grip | gross |
| ground | group | grow | Key | kick |
| Kid | kill | kind | King | kiss |
| kit | knee | knife | knit | knock |
| know | lack | lad | lake | lame |
| lamp | Land | lane | large | last |
| late | laugh | launch | law | lay |
| lead | leaf | league | lean | leap |
| learn | lease | leave | left | leg |
| lend | length | let | Lie | life |
| Light | like | limp | line | link |
| lip | list | live | mud | mum |
| myth | nail | name | near | neat |
| neck | need | nerve | nest | net |
| New | Nice | Night | No | nod |
| noise | norm | nose | note | nude |
| numb | nurse | posh | Post | pot |
| Pound | pour | praise | pray | press |
| Price | pride | priest | prince | |
| prize | prompt | proof | proud | prove |
| pub | pull | pure | push | put |
| quaint | queen | queer | quick | quote |
| race | raid | rail | rain | raise |
| range | rank | rape | rare | rat |
| rate | roast | Rock | rod | role |
| roll | roof | room | root | rope |
| rose | rough | round | route | row |
| rub | rude | rule | run | Rush |
| sack | sad | safe | sail | sake |
| SALT | Sand | sane | save | say |
| scale | scan | scant | scarce | scene |
| scheme | school | scope | score | scratch |
| scream | screen | sea | SEAL | search |
| seat | see | seed | seek | seem |
| seize | self | sell | send | sense |
| serve | set | sex | shade | shake |
| shame | shape | share | shed | sheep |
| sheer | sheet | shelf | shell | shift |
| shine | ship | shirt | shit | shock |
| shoe | shoot | shop | shore | short |
| shot | shout | show | shrewd | shrill |
| shrug | shut | shy | sick | side |
| sigh | sight | sign | silk | Sin |
| sing | sink | Sir | sit | site |
| size | skill | skin | skirt | sky |
| slack | slam | sleek | sleep | slick |
| slide | slight | slim | slip | slope |
| slow | small | smart | smash | smell |
| smile | smoke | smooth | smug | snap |
| snide | Snow | snug | soft | soil |
| sole | solve | Son | Song | sore |
| sort | soul | sound | sour | source |
| South | soy | space | spare | sparse |
| speak | speech | speed | spell | spend |
| sphere | spill | spin | Split | spoil |
| spoilt | sport | spot | spread | spring |
| squad | square | squeeze | staff | stage |
| staid | stairs | stake | stale | stance |
| stand | star | stare | start | State |
| staunch | stay | steal | steam | steel |
| steep | stem | step | stick | stiff |
| still | stir | stock | Stone | stop |
| store | storm | stout | straight | strain |
| strange | stream | street | strength | stress |
| stretch | strict | strike | string | strip |
| stroke | strong | stuff | style | suck |
| Sue | suit | sum | Sun | sure |
| swear | sweep | Sweet | Swift | swim |
| swing | switch | sword | tail | take |
| tale | talk | tall | tame | tank |
| tap | tape | task | taste | taut |
We hope that with this extended article you would be able to get the brief of stressed and unstressed syllable words.
You can also download the following resource to quickly revise the difference between stressed and unstressed syllables.
Keep exploring EnglishBix for more quality resources on pronunciation of different words.