IPA stress marks: which syllable gets the beat
English words have a beat, and the dictionary shows where it falls with one small mark. This lesson teaches that mark, its lighter partner and the syllable dot.
The stress mark ˈ
In about the beat falls on the second syllable, a-BOUT; in sofa on the first, SO-fa. A small raised vertical mark, ˈ, goes BEFORE the stressed syllable: /əˈbaʊt/ and /ˈsəʊfə/.
Try it
Which syllable is stressed?
/rɪˈmembə/
Before the syllable, not the vowel
Everyone gets this wrong once: in /təˈdeɪ/ the stress covers the whole syllable /deɪ/, d included.
Secondary stress and the syllable dot
A low mark, ˌ, is a lighter, secondary stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ is un-der-STAND with some weight on un. Some dictionaries, and some of our pages, also put a dot between syllables, as in /ˈfəʊ.tə.ɡrɑːf/. The dot only shows where one syllable ends; it is not a sound.
| Mark | Name | Means |
|---|---|---|
| ˈ | Primary stress | The next syllable gets the beat |
| ˌ | Secondary stress | A lighter beat |
| . | Syllable dot | A syllable ends here; not a sound |
Move the stress, change the vowels
Stress is what makes the schwa of lesson 5. Move the beat and the vowels change with it. From this lesson on, every drill uses longer words with their stress marks.
- /ˈfəʊtəɡrɑːf/
- /fəˈtɒɡrəfə/
The symbols
See them on the IPA chartPress play to hear each real word; the highlighted letters make the sound.
ˈ
Primary stress mark
On the chart: Primary stressGoes before the stressed syllable: /ˈhæpi/ is HAP-py, /rɪˈmembə/ is re-MEM-ber.
ˌ
Secondary stress mark
On the chart: Secondary stressA lighter beat before the main one: afternoon, /ˌɑːftəˈnuːn/, is af-ter-NOON with some weight on af.
.
Syllable dot
On the chart: Syllable breakA full stop marking where one syllable ends and the next begins. It is neither a sound nor stress: /ˈsɪn.ə.mə/ is three syllables, stressed on the first.
Weak forms: small words with two pronunciations
The commonest small words have two forms: a strong one, for when they are stressed or said alone, and a weak one, usually with a schwa, for ordinary speech. Dictionaries list both; our word pages print one, so check which before you read a sentence aloud.
Key takeaways
- ˈ goes before the stressed syllable: /əˈbaʊt/ is a-BOUT.
- It marks the whole syllable, consonants included: /təˈdeɪ/.
- ˌ is a lighter, secondary stress; a dot only splits syllables.
- Move the stress and the vowels change: photograph, photographer.
- Small words have strong and weak forms: to is /tuː/ alone, /tə/ in a phrase.
Drill
0/10
Part of Kilo Lingo Plus - the lesson above is free to read.
Which word is this?
/ˈbɪznəs/
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