🏠 Home Tests Practice General English Word Stress Exercises: English Practice (A2-B2) with Answers 🌐 Word Stress Exercises: English Practice (A2-B2) with Answers 20 questions
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The fastest way to grow your vocabulary is to learn from mistakes. Try these 20 Word Stress exercises at Level A2-B2 and read the explanation for every question — especially the ones you get wrong.
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⏱ You have 10:00 to answer 20 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin .
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Questions 20
Q1 20
Question 1: In the word 'teacher', which syllable is stressed? Question 1 options Check answer
The word 'teacher' (TEACH-er) has stress on the first syllable. Two-syllable words ending in -er typically carry stress on the first syllable.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q2 20
Question 2: Which word has stress on the SECOND syllable? Question 2 options Check answer
'Begin' (be-GIN) has stress on the second syllable. 'Happy' is stressed on the first (HAP-py), 'morning' on the first (MORN-ing), and 'sister' on the first (SIS-ter).
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q3 20
Question 3: In the word 'banana', the stress falls on the second syllable: ba-NA-na. Question 3 options Check answer
True. 'Banana' is pronounced ba-NA-na, with the primary stress on the second of its three syllables.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q4 20
Question 4: How many syllables does the word 'beautiful' have? Question 4 options Check answer
'Beautiful' has three syllables: BEAU-ti-ful. The diphthong 'eau' counts as one syllable sound.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q5 20
Question 5: The word 'record' is a noun when the stress is on the ___ syllable. Question 5 options Check answer
When 'record' is a noun (a RE-cord), the stress falls on the first syllable. When it is a verb (to re-CORD), the stress shifts to the second syllable. This is a classic noun-verb stress shift pattern.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q6 20
Question 6: Match each word pair to its correct stress pattern when used as a NOUN. Question 6 options record (noun)
present (noun)
object (noun)
permit (noun)
PER-mit
PRE-sent
OB-ject
RE-cord
Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Check answer
Many two-syllable words in English shift stress between first syllable (noun) and second syllable (verb): RE-cord, PRE-sent, OB-ject, PER-mit.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q7 20
Question 7: Which word has stress on the FIRST syllable? Question 7 options Check answer
'Table' (TA-ble) has stress on the first syllable. 'Polite' is stressed on the second (po-LITE), 'alone' on the second (a-LONE), and 'decide' on the second (de-CIDE).
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q8 20
Question 8: When the suffix '-tion' is added to a word, the stress always falls on the syllable immediately before '-tion'. Question 8 options Check answer
True. Words ending in '-tion' (such as 'education', 'information', 'communication') consistently place primary stress on the syllable just before '-tion': ed-u-CA-tion, in-for-MA-tion.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q9 20
Question 9: In the word 'photograph', which syllable carries the primary stress? Question 9 options Check answer
'Photograph' is stressed on the first syllable: PHO-to-graph. Note that the stress shifts in related words like pho-TOG-ra-phy and pho-to-GRAPH-ic.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q10 20
Question 10: When 'present' is used as a verb meaning 'to give formally', the stress falls on the ___. Question 10 options Check answer
As a verb, 'present' is stressed on the second syllable: pre-SENT. As a noun or adjective, the stress is on the first syllable: PRE-sent. This follows the noun-verb stress shift pattern.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q11 20
Question 11: Which of these words does NOT follow the noun-verb stress shift pattern? Question 11 options Check answer
'Promise' keeps stress on the first syllable (PRO-mise) whether used as a noun or a verb. In contrast, 'produce', 'insult', and 'contrast' shift stress: nouns are stressed on the first syllable, verbs on the second.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q12 20
Question 12: Adding the suffix '-ic' to 'economy' changes the stress to ___. Question 12 options Check answer
The suffix '-ic' pulls the stress to the syllable immediately before it. 'Economy' is e-CO-no-my, but 'economic' becomes e-co-NO-mic, with stress on the third syllable.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q13 20
Question 13: In compound nouns like 'blackbird', stress typically falls on the ___ part of the compound. Question 13 options
Check answer
In compound nouns, primary stress usually falls on the first element. 'BLACKbird' (a type of bird) vs. 'black BIRD' (any bird that is black) — the stress pattern distinguishes a compound noun from an adjective-noun phrase.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q14 20
Question 14: In the compound noun 'greenhouse', where does the primary stress fall? Question 14 options Check answer
'Greenhouse' as a compound noun (a glass building for plants) is stressed on the first element: GREEN-house. A 'green HOUSE' with stress on 'house' would simply mean a house painted green.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q15 20
Question 15: Which word has the stress on the THIRD syllable? Question 15 options Check answer
'Understand' is stressed on the third syllable: un-der-STAND. 'Comfortable' is COM-for-ta-ble (first), 'interesting' is IN-ter-est-ing (first), and 'everyone' is EV-ry-one (first) — only 'understand' has third-syllable stress.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q16 20
Question 16: The stress in 'photography' falls on the same syllable as in 'photograph'. Question 16 options Check answer
False. 'Photograph' is stressed on the first syllable (PHO-to-graph), but 'photography' shifts the stress to the second syllable (pho-TOG-ra-phy). Adding the suffix '-y' causes the stress to move.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q17 20
Question 17: Words ending in the suffix '-ity' place the primary stress on which syllable? Question 17 options Check answer
The suffix '-ity' draws the stress to the syllable directly before it: re-al-I-ty, u-ni-VER-si-ty, per-son-AL-i-ty. This is a reliable stress rule for this suffix.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q18 20
Question 18: Which pair of words shows a stress shift that changes the word's part of speech? Question 18 options Check answer
'Import' shifts stress depending on its part of speech: IM-port (noun) vs. im-PORT (verb). 'Travel/travels' and 'open/opened' are inflections of the same word without stress change. 'Happy/sadly' involves different root words, not a stress shift.
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q19 20
Question 19: Put these words in order from fewest syllables to most syllables: communication, stress, interesting, syllable Question 19 options stress ▲ ▼ syllable ▲ ▼ interesting ▲ ▼ communication ▲ ▼ Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.
Check answer
Counting syllables: stress (1), syllable (3 — syl-la-ble), interesting (4 — in-ter-est-ing), communication (5 — com-mu-ni-ca-tion).
🚩 Found a problem with this question? Q20 20
Question 20: The prefix 'un-' in 'unHAPpy' ___. Question 20 options Check answer
In 'unhappy', the prefix 'un-' does not carry the primary stress. The stress remains on the root syllable: un-HAP-py. Most common prefixes (un-, re-, dis-, pre-) do not take primary stress; the root word retains it.
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