This page shows the way in which the meaning of a word can change if you stress a different syllable. This change only happens with a few, specific words, many of which are listed here — it doesn’t apply to all words in the English language. Most of the words are two syllables long — there are just a few examples with three syllables.
The examples fall into two categories:
- Those which keep the same general meaning, but which change from noun to verb when the stress moves from the first to the second syllable.
- Those which change their meaning completely — most of them change from noun to verb, but a few change to an adjective.
1. Change from noun to verb, same general meaning:
addict ADD-ict Rob is a crack cocaine ADD-ict. [Rob is a person who uses crack cocaine and cannot stop doing it] add-ICT If you keep playing that game, you will get add-ICT-ed to it! [you will become an addict] conflict CON-flictThe two friends were in CON-flict. [didn’t agree about something] con-FLICTYour two accounts of what happened con-FLICT. [your stories don’t agree with each other] contest CON-test He is taking part in a boxing CON-test. [a fighting competition] con-TEST I’m sorry, I have to con-TEST your figures. [I can’t agree with your figures] contrast CON-trast There’s quite a CON-trast between their political views. [a big difference] con-TRAST I will compare and con-TRAST these two poems. [show the differences between them] convert CON-vert He is a CON-vert to Buddhism. [he has changed his religion] con-VERT I’m sorry, you will never con-VERT me. [you will never persuade me to change my beliefs/opinions] decrease DE-crease There has been a DE-crease in sales recently. [we have sold less than usual] de-CREASE We need to de-CREASE the number of children in the class to make it more effective. import IM-port Coffee is an IM-port from Brazil. [coffee is brought here from Brazil] im-PORT We would like to im-PORT more coffee over the next few years. increase IN-crease There has been an IN-crease in accidents recently. [there have been more accidents] in-CREASE We need to in-CREASE our sales figures. [sell more] insult IN-sult What she said felt like an IN-sult. [she said something bad] in-SULT Please don’t in-SULT me[don’t say bad things to me] perfect PER-fect Your homework is PER-fect. [it has no mistakes in it] per-FECT We need to per-FECT our design before we can put this new product on the market. [we need to improve it] permit PER-mit Do you have a PER-mit to drive this lorry?. [document giving permission] per-MIT Will you per-MIT me to park my car in front of your house? [allow me] pervert PER-vert Niharika is a PER-vert. [she has strange sexual preferences] per-VERT The man was arrested on a charge of attempting to per-VERT the course of justice. [interfering with the proper workings of the legal process] present PRES-ent She gave me a nice PRES-ent on my birthday.[gift] pre-SENT Allow me to pres-ENT my friend, David. [introduce] produce PRO-duce They sell all kinds of PRO-duce at the market. [fruit and vegetables] pro-DUCE How did the magician manage to pro-DUCE a rabbit from his top hat? [bring out] protest PRO-test There was a political PRO-test going on in the street. [demonstration] pro-TEST I had to pro-TEST about the dirty state of the kitchen. [complain] recall RE-call The actor was given a RE-call. [called back, invited for a second audition] re-CALL I can’t re-CALL the first time I rode a bicycle. [remember] record RE-cord She always keeps a RE-cord of what she spends every month. [note] re-CORD It’s important to re-CORD how much you spend every month. [make a note of] reject RE-ject The item in this box is a RE-ject. [not good enough to sell] re-JECT We have decided to re-JECT the building proposal as it would have cost too much money. [turn down, say no to] suspect SUS-pect The police interviewed the SUS-pect for five hours, but then let him go. [someone they thought might have committed a crime] sus-PECT I sus-PECT that tree will have to be cut down, before it falls and causes some damage. [have a feeling, think, imagine]
2. Change from noun to verb or noun to adjective, different meaning:
address AD-dress Do you know Valen’s AD-dress? [where she lives] ad-DRESS You do not have permission to ad-DRESS President Harkonnen! [to speak to him directly] attribute AT-trib-ute Dishonesty is a common ATT-rib-ute of politicians. [a trait/characteristic] at-TRIB-ute That quote is at-TRIB-u-ted to Winston Churchill. [considered to be first said/created by him] conduct CON-duct We aren’t happy about your general CON-duct. [the way you’re behaving] con-DUCT I was asked to con-DUCT the orchestra at short notice. [coordinate a musical performance by waving a baton] console CON-sole I spend too much time at my computer CON-sole. [screen and controls] con-SOLE She was so unhappy, I was unable to con-SOLE her. [make her feel better] content CON-tent The CON-tent of your essay is fine, but you need to rearrange the structure. [what it contains] con-TENT [adj.] She was sitting reading a book, looking very con-TENT. [relaxed, peaceful] converse CON-verse Do you think firm A is more successful than firm B? I think the CON-verse is true. [opposite] con-VERSE He can con-VERSE in three different languages. [have conversations] default DE-fault The DE-fault settings of that TV are bad, but you can configure it differently. [the settings it comes with it when you get it] de-FAULT Jon de-FAULT-ed on his loan payments. [he did not make the required payments] desert DES-ert The army marched through the DES-ert. [eg Sahara] des-ERT I wouldn’t advise you to des-ERT the army, as it will get you into trouble. [leave without permission] entrance EN-trance The EN-trance to the building was locked. [way in] en-TRANCE Are you trying to en-TRANCE me? [hypnotise me, put me into a trance] exploit EX-ploit He’s always talking about some EX-ploit from his war years. [exciting experience, adventure] ex-PLOIT Some companies ex-PLOIT their staff by expecting them to work overtime for no extra pay. [take advantage of] extract EX-tract She read me an EX-tract from her new novel. [short section] ex-TRACT The dentist says he needs to ex-TRACT one of my teeth. [remove, pull out, take out] invalid IN-val-id After his accident he was an IN-val-id for nearly a year, but he’s ok again now. [was disabled, had mobility problems] in-VAL-id [adj.] I’m sorry, your passport is in-VAL-id, as it expired two months ago. [can’t be used] object OB-ject What is that OB-ject over there? [thing] ob-JECT Would anyone ob-JECT if I opened a window? [complain] project PRO-ject This PRO-ject should be completed next month. [piece of work] pro-JECT We could pro-JECT the film onto that blank wall. [show, display] refuse REF-use We have our REF-use collected on a Thursday. [rubbish, garbage] re-FUSE Chocolate cake? How can I re-FUSE! [say no] subject SUB-ject What is the SUB-ject of today’s lesson? [topic] sub-JECT Oh dear, our teacher is going to sub-JECT us to another test. [impose on us, make us endure]
2 syllable words là gì?
1.1. Danh từ và tính từ có 2 âm tiết [Two syllable words]: Trong phần lớn danh từ và tính từ có 2 âm tiết, trọng âm sẽ đánh trước âm tiết đầu.
A syllable là gì?
Âm tiết [syllable] là một đơn vị trong phát âm tiếng Anh, bao gồm phần lõi là nguyên âm [vowel], có thể được theo kèm trước hoặc sau bởi phụ âm [consonant]. Âm tiết bao gồm 2 phần chính: onset và rhyme. Trong đó, rhyme được cấu thành từ peak và coda.
Word of one syllable là gì?
TỪ MỘT ÂM TIẾT[ONE-SYLLABLE WORDS] Những từ có một âm tiết đều có trọng âm trừ những từ ngữ pháp [grammatical words] như: in, on, at, to, but, so…
Main stress là gì?
Nếu một từ có nhiều hơn một âm được nhấn thì một âm được gọi là trọng âm chính [primary stress] /ˈ/, và các trọng âm khác gọi là trọng âm phụ [secondary stress] /ˌ/ ví dụ: ,inter'national. Những dấu nhấn này thông thường được thể hiện trong phiên âm ˌɪntəˈnæʃənəl.