One of the trickiest aspects of English pronunciation is that stress can move when a word changes form. The word "PHOtograph" has stress on the first syllable, but "phoTOgraphy" has stress on the second. Why? And how can you predict these shifts?
This guide reveals the patterns behind word family stress shifts—essential knowledge for sounding natural in English.
Why Does Stress Shift?
In English, certain suffixes are stress-attracting—they pull the stress toward them. Others are stress-neutral—they don't change where the stress falls. Understanding this is the key to predicting pronunciation.
The PHOtograph Family
This is the classic example of stress shift:
Pattern breakdown:
- PHO-to-graph (stress on 1st) → Base word
- pho-TO-gra-phy (stress on 2nd) → -y suffix pulls stress
- pho-TO-gra-pher (stress on 2nd) → -er suffix is neutral
- pho-to-GRA-phic (stress on 3rd) → -ic suffix pulls stress to syllable before
Stress-Attracting Suffixes
These suffixes change where stress falls:
-IC and -ICAL (Stress on syllable BEFORE)
-ITY (Stress on syllable BEFORE)
-TION and -SION (Stress on syllable BEFORE)
-GRAPHY and -LOGY (Stress on syllable BEFORE suffix)
Stress-Neutral Suffixes
These suffixes DON'T change where stress falls:
-ER, -OR, -IST, -ISM
-MENT, -NESS, -FUL, -LESS
Complete Word Family Examples
The POLITICS Family
| Word | IPA | Stress Position |
|---|---|---|
| POlitics | /ˈpɑːlətɪks/ | 1st syllable |
| poLItical | /pəˈlɪtɪkəl/ | 2nd syllable |
| poliTIcian | /ˌpɑːləˈtɪʃən/ | 3rd syllable |
| POliticize | /pəˈlɪtɪsaɪz/ | 2nd syllable |
The NATION Family
| Word | IPA | Stress Position |
|---|---|---|
| NAtion | /ˈneɪʃən/ | 1st syllable |
| NAtional | /ˈnæʃənəl/ | 1st syllable |
| natioNAlity | /ˌnæʃəˈnæləti/ | 3rd syllable |
| NAtionalize | /ˈnæʃənəlaɪz/ | 1st syllable |
The INDUSTRY Family
| Word | IPA | Stress Position |
|---|---|---|
| INdustry | /ˈɪndəstri/ | 1st syllable |
| inDUStrial | /ɪnˈdʌstriəl/ | 2nd syllable |
| indusTRIAlize | /ɪnˈdʌstriəlaɪz/ | 2nd syllable |
| industrialiZAtion | /ɪnˌdʌstriələˈzeɪʃən/ | 5th syllable |
The MEDICINE Family
| Word | IPA | Stress Position |
|---|---|---|
| MEdicine | /ˈmedɪsɪn/ | 1st syllable |
| meDIcinal | /məˈdɪsɪnəl/ | 2nd syllable |
| MEdical | /ˈmedɪkəl/ | 1st syllable |
| MEdicate | /ˈmedɪkeɪt/ | 1st syllable |
| mediCAtion | /ˌmedɪˈkeɪʃən/ | 3rd syllable |
The Pattern Summary
| Suffix | Stress Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ic, -ical | Stress syllable BEFORE | eCONomic, poLItical |
| -ity | Stress syllable BEFORE | persoNAlity, elecTRIcity |
| -tion, -sion | Stress syllable BEFORE | eduCAtion, commuNIcation |
| -graphy, -logy | Stress syllable BEFORE | phoTOgraphy, bioLOgy |
| -er, -or, -ist | No change | TEACHer, PIanist |
| -ment, -ness | No change | deVElopment, HAPpiness |
| -ful, -less | No change | BEAUtiful, HOMEless |
Practice Exercise
Predict the stress in these word families, then check:
- BOTany → botanICal → BOTanist
- HIStory → hisTORical → hisTORian
- CUrious → curioSIty
- PROduce (noun) → proDUCtion → proDUCtive → productiVIty
- DEmocrat → demoCRAtic → deMOcracy
Why This Matters for Spanish Speakers
Spanish has more predictable stress patterns. In Spanish, adding a suffix usually doesn't change stress placement much. But in English:
- "economía" and "económico" have similar stress patterns in Spanish
- "eCOnomy" and "ecoNOmic" have DIFFERENT stress in English
Learning these patterns will dramatically improve your pronunciation of academic, professional, and technical vocabulary.
Key Takeaways
- Some suffixes (-ic, -ity, -tion) attract stress to the syllable before them
- Other suffixes (-er, -ment, -ness) don't change stress
- Learn words in families to see the patterns
- The vowel quality often changes with stress (unstressed vowels become schwa)
- Practice saying word families aloud to internalize the patterns