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US vs UK stress shifts

A group of mostly French-derived words is stressed on the first syllable in British English and the second in American, or the reverse. British says BALL-et and GA-rage; American says bal-LET and ga-RAGE. Listen for which syllable is longest and loudest in each accent.

Accent

15 words · advanced · your accent and voice are remembered across the site. More options on the settings page.

The words

adult
garage
ballet
cafe
brochure
debris
address
cigarette
magazine
research
detail
weekend
princess
harassment
vaccine

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-ary and -ory endings
Necessary, laboratory, secretary: Americans keep a full syllable that the British swallow.
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Weak form words
To, of, and, for, can: function words that shrink to a schwa in real speech. Hear both forms.
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Number and date words
Thirteen or thirty? Fifteen or fifty? The stress is the only clue. Hear the pairs contrasted.
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Words that lose a syllable
Chocolate, comfortable, vegetable: fewer syllables than the spelling suggests. Hear the real count.
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Schwa sound words
The most common sound in English, hiding in every unstressed syllable. Learn to hear the schwa.
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ER sound words
Bird, work, learn, turn: five spellings, one vowel. Hear the central ER sound in every accent.
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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.