Compound word stress
English compound nouns take stress on the first element: a GREENhouse is a building, while a green HOUSE is a house that is green. The rule is consistent and it changes meaning, not just rhythm. Listen for the first word being louder and longer in every item here.
Accent
15 words · intermediate · your accent and voice are remembered across the site. More options on the settings page.
The words
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Words that lose a syllable
Chocolate, comfortable, vegetable: fewer syllables than the spelling suggests. Hear the real count.
Schwa sound words
The most common sound in English, hiding in every unstressed syllable. Learn to hear the schwa.
US vs UK stress shifts
Adult, garage, ballet, cafe: the stressed syllable moves between accents. Hear where it lands.
-ary and -ory endings
Necessary, laboratory, secretary: Americans keep a full syllable that the British swallow.
-TION words
Nation, education, question: the -tion ending and where the stress always falls. Hear the rule.
-SION words
Decision, mission, television: -sion is sometimes ZH, sometimes SH. Learn which is which.
Keep practising
Browse every practice list, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.