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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

greenhouse
blackboard
hotdog
bookshop
haircut
sunglasses
keyboard
football
airport
newspaper
toothbrush
website
bedroom
firefighter
password

More lists like this

Noun and verb stress pairs
REcord or reCORD? Same spelling, stress moves with the part of speech. Hear both versions.
15
Show the 15 words

-ATE ending words
Separate the adjective, separate the verb: -ate changes vowel by word class. Hear both forms.
15
Show the 15 words

-IC and -ICAL stress
Photograph, photography, photographic: the stress moves every time. Hear the whole family.
15
Show the 15 words

Weak form words
To, of, and, for, can: function words that shrink to a schwa in real speech. Hear both forms.
15
Show the 15 words

Number and date words
Thirteen or thirty? Fifteen or fifty? The stress is the only clue. Hear the pairs contrasted.
15
Show the 15 words

Words that lose a syllable
Chocolate, comfortable, vegetable: fewer syllables than the spelling suggests. Hear the real count.
15
Show the 15 words

Keep practising

Browse every practice list or the word index, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.

To read the rules behind these words, see the pronunciation guides — including silent letters, word stress and American vs British. Or hear each accent on its own page: American, British, Australian.