Word Stress Rules in English (For BCECE LE) – Easy Guide with Examples

Word Stress Rules in English (FOR BCECE LE)

Understanding word stress is one of the easiest ways to improve your English pronunciation, especially for exams like BCECE LE, where questions often come directly from this topic. Word stress simply means which part of a word you say with more force or emphasis. When you learn the basic rules, it becomes much easier to recognise patterns, speak more clearly, and answer exam questions correctly. In this guide, we’ll walk through the main rules, common examples, and even PYQ-based explanations so you can revise confidently and score well.

What is Word Stress?

When we speak, we stress (emphasize) certain parts of a word. In compound words (two words joined together), the part we stress changes depending on the type of word combination.

Word Stress Rules

There are two very simple rules about word stress:

1. One word has only one stress. (One word cannot have two stresses. If you hear two stresses, you hear two words. Two stresses cannot be one word. It is true that there can be a “secondary” stress in some words. But a secondary stress is much smaller than the main [primary] stress, and is only used in long words.)

2. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.

Here are some more, rather complicated, rules that can help you understand where to put the stress. But do not rely on them too much, because there are many exceptions. It is better to try to “feel” the music of the language and to add the stress naturally.

Stress in Two-Syllable Words

[If a word has only two syllables]

1. Nouns and Adjectives – Stress on the 1st Syllable

Why?
Nouns/adjectives usually begin strong (more important), while verbs stress the action (end).

Rule:
If the word is a noun (name of person, place, thing) or adjective (describing word), stress usually comes on the first part of the word.

Examples:

2. Verbs – Stress on the 2nd Syllable

Rule: If the word is a verb (action word), stress usually comes on the second part.

Examples:

3. Noun-Verb Pairs – Different Stress

Rule: Some words change their meaning depending on the stress.

• 💡 Noun → stress on the 1st syllable

• 💡 Verb → stress on the 2nd syllable

Examples:

Word Stress in Compound Words

Rule: Compound words are two words joined together, and the stressed part depends on the type of compound.

Main Rules of Word Stress in Compound Words

1. Noun + Noun (Stress 1st Syllable)

These are two nouns joined together to form one new meaning. When two nouns come together to make one meaning, the stress usually falls on the first noun.

2. Adjective + Noun (Stress 1st Syllable)

An adjective describes the noun. Together, they form a single compound idea. If an adjective comes before a noun, again stress is on the first part.

3. Verb + Preposition → Stress the 2nd Syllable

These often look like phrasal verbs. The stress is on the preposition (2nd part). In these, we put stress on the second part (the preposition).

Word Stress Rules with Prefixes & Suffixes

Syllable-focused | Simple Language | Clear Examples

Rule 1: Most Prefixes Don’t Change the Stress

Stress stays on the root/base word.

Prefixes like un-, re-, dis-, mis- are usually unstressed.

Tip: Ignore the prefix when finding the stress.

Rule 2: Suffixes Often Shift the Stress

A. Suffix : -ic / -tion / -sion / -ssion / -ical

Stress on penultimate syllable (penultimate = second from end)

Stress the syllable before the suffix

B. Suffix : -ity

Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-penultimate = third from end)

Stress 3rd syllable from end

C. Suffix : -ian / -cian / -sian

Stress comes before the suffix

D. Suffix : -graphy / -logy / -nomy / -metry

Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-penultimate = third from end)

Stress in syllable 3rd from the end

E. Suffixes: -cy / -ty / -phy / -gy / -al

Stress on ante-penultimate syllable (ante-penultimate = third from end)

Stress in 3rd syllable from the end

F. Suffix : -ee / -ese / -ette

Stress on the LAST syllable

G. Suffixes That Don’t Affect Stress

Suffixes like -ly, -ness, -less, -ful, -ment -> keep the original stress

Words ending in -ly : Stress the first syllable (e.g., QUICK-ly)

Summary Table (All Rules)

Quick Explanation:

• Last syllable = suffix itself is stressed

• Second-to-last syllable = stress is on 2nd syllable from the end

• Third-from-last syllable = stress is on 3rd syllable from the end

• Same as base word = suffix doesn’t affect stress

Practice Questions

Part A: Mark the Stressed Syllable

1. Responsibility

2. Photographer

3. Rewriting

4. Economy

5. Technicians

6. Carefully

7. Electricity

8. Magician

9. Dramatic

10. Education

Part B: Fill the Blanks

ANSWERS

Part A: Mark the Stressed Syllable

Find and mark the syllable that is stressed in each word.

Part B: Fill in the Blanks

Directions (Q. 136–140) PYQ 2024

For each given word, different sets of letters are underlined for identifying the correct syllable for stress. Select the correct option.

136. DEVELOPMENT

(A) DEVELOPMENT ✓

(B) DEVELOPMENT

(C) DEVELOPMENT

(D) DEVELOPMENT

Syllable Breakdown: de-vel-op-ment

137. PSYCHOLOGICAL

(A) PSYCHOLOGICAL

(B) PSYCHOLOGICAL

(C) PSYCHOLOGICAL

(D) PSYCHOLOGICAL ✓

Syllable Breakdown: psy-cho-log-i-cal
Rule: Words ending in “-ical” are stressed on the syllable just before the suffix, so the stress is on “GI”.

138. SOLIDARITY

(A) SOLIDARITY

(B) SOLIDARITY

(C) SOLIDARITY ✓

(D) SOLIDARITY

Syllable Breakdown: sol-i-dar-i-ty
Rule: Words ending in “-ity” typically have stress on the third syllable from the end — here, it’s “AR”.

139. PERCENTAGE

(A) PERCENTAGE

(B) PERCENTAGE

(C) PERCENTAGE

(D) PERCENTAGE

Syllable Breakdown: per-cent-age

Rule: Words ending in “-age” often have stress on the 2nd syllable, especially in common nouns like “percentage”.122. Abbreviated

Directions (Q. Nos. 121–125) PYQ 2023

Identify the syllable which is stressed in the given word which may have fewer than 4 syllables.

121. Radiator

(A) 1st

(B) 2nd

(C) 3rd

(D) 4th

Syllable Breakdown: RA-di-a-to

122. Abbreviated

(A) 1st

(B) 2nd

(C) 3rd

(D) 4th

Syllable Breakdown: a-BRE-vi-a-ted

123. Authoritarian

(A) 1st

(B) 2nd

(C) 3rd

(D) 4th

Syllable Breakdown: au-tho-ri-TAR-i-an

Rule: Words ending in -ian or -ian/-ion often place stress on the syllable just before the suffix, especially in longer words.

124. Incredibly

(A) 1st

(B) 2nd

(C) 3rd

(D) 4th

Syllable Breakdown: in-cred-i-bly

125. Amended

(A) 1st

(B) 2nd

(C) 3rd

(D) 4th

Syllable Breakdown: a-MEN-ded Rule: In many past-tense verbs ending in -ed, the stress falls on the root syllable (e.g., mend), which is the second syllable here

word stress becomes much easier once you understand the basic patterns and see how they appear in real exam questions. Even though English has many exceptions, most common words follow the rules you learned here. If you keep practising and paying attention to how words sound, your pronunciation will improve naturally, and questions from this topic in BCECE LE will feel effortless. Keep revising a little every day, listen to good English speakers, and try saying the examples out loud—small practice makes a big difference.