Stress is the stronger part of a word or a sentence. A stressed syllable is usually louder, longer, and clearer than other syllables. English uses stress to help listeners hear meaning and rhythm. Stress is not always fixed in the same way for every speaker or accent.

Many common two-syllable nouns have stress on the first syllable. This pattern is common, but some words can be different in some accents or uses. Learning the usual pattern helps you hear nouns more clearly.

Word	Notation	Description
TAble	TA-ble	The first syllable is stressed in this noun.
MArket	MAR-ket	The first syllable is stressed in this noun.
WINdow	WIN-dow	The first syllable is stressed in this noun.
DOCtor	DOC-tor	The first syllable is stressed in this noun.

Many common two-syllable verbs have stress on the second syllable. This contrast can help you hear the difference between nouns and verbs. Some words change stress when the word class changes.

Word	Notation	Description
reLAX	re-LAX	The second syllable is stressed in this verb.
deCIDE	de-CIDE	The second syllable is stressed in this verb.
arRIVE	ar-RIVE	The second syllable is stressed in this verb.
beGIN	be-GIN	The second syllable is stressed in this verb.

In longer words, one syllable usually has the main stress. The stressed syllable may be at the beginning, middle, or end. You need to learn stress as part of the word because it is not fully predictable.

Word	Notation	Description
ELephant	EL-e-phant	The first syllable has the main stress.
toMAto	to-MA-to	The middle syllable has the main stress in many accents.
engiNEER	en-gi-NEER	The last syllable has the main stress.
inforMAtion	in-for-MA-tion	The third syllable has the main stress.

Stress can change inside a word family. A noun, verb, or adjective from the same base may not keep the same stressed syllable. This change is common in English and can affect clarity.

Word	Notation	Description
PHOtograph	PHO-to-graph	The first syllable is stressed in this noun.
phoTOgrapher	pho-TO-gra-pher	The second syllable is stressed in this related noun.
photoGRAphic	pho-to-GRA-phic	The third syllable is stressed in this related adjective.

In short statements, important words usually get stress. Content words such as nouns, main verbs, adjectives, and question words often carry stress. Small grammar words are often less stressed. Speakers may change sentence stress to show a different meaning or focus.

Word stress and sentence stress help you speak more clearly and with a more natural rhythm. You can now recognize common stress in two-syllable nouns and verbs, hear the main stress in longer words, notice stress changes in word families, and understand basic sentence stress. Some stress patterns still change by accent or usage, so listening to real speech remains important.