Practice word stress and endings in 20 English words
Compare economy with economics, geography with geographic, and stress patterns in words ending in -ic and -ity.
Compare a pair before learning a rule
Listen to economy and economics, then geography and geographic. The main stress moves later in the second member of each pair. Mark the strongest syllable in each complete word; do not simply carry the first word’s rhythm over to its relative.
Use endings as a clue, not a promise
Academic, analytic, and ceramic place their strongest beat before the final ik. Curiosity, priority, and university have lighter syllables after the main beat. These examples help you notice patterns, but a dictionary check remains useful for a new word.
Separate primary and secondary beats
Longer words can have a smaller beat as well as the main stress. Listen to electricity or pronunciation and tap more firmly for the primary beat. Use the worksheet to mark that beat, then read the practice phrase with the word’s rhythm intact.
Your listening list
20 wordsChoose a word to hear it in an APG video.
Test these pronunciations
Try 4 questions from this guide. Each answer includes an APG video, dictionary reference, and explanation.
Try this guide’s quiz →More words in this topic
27 wordsKeep listening with an APG video and a pronunciation tip for each word.
- aberration
Put the main beat on “ra.”
- analogy
The second syllable carries the stress.
- antipathy
Stress “tip,” then lighten the ending.
- audacious
The middle syllable sounds like “day.”
- auspicious
Stress “spi” and finish with “shus.”
- autonomy
Stress TON.
- capricious
Put the main beat on “pri.”
- congratulations
Give the main beat to “lay.”
- contentious
Stress “ten” and listen for “sh.”
- determine
Stress the r-colored middle syllable.
- detritus
Stress the syllable containing “try.”
- efficacy
Put the primary stress on “ef.”
- emulate
Stress “em” and keep the “y” sound.
- esoteric
Stress “ter,” the third syllable.
- implicit
Stress “pli,” with a short “i.”
- independent
Give “pen” the main stress.
- indigenous
Stress “dig,” with a soft “g.”
- integrity
The second syllable, “teg,” is strongest.
- opportunity
Put the main beat on “too.”
- pernicious
Stress “ni” and finish with “shus.”
- perseverance
Let the “veer” part carry the beat.
- pragmatic
Put the main beat on “mat.”
- precocious
Stress “co,” using the vowel in “go.”
- reconcile
Keep the primary stress on “rec.”
- spatial
SPAY-shuhl: tial becomes “shuhl.”
- specious
SPEE-shus: the first vowel is a long ee.
- superfluous
soo-PUR-floo-us: PUR carries the main stress.
Sources & classroom use
Each listening tip follows the IPA shown beside its word. Other dictionary pronunciations appear on the word page; individual speakers may vary.
Practice phrases were written for these exercises; quoted book passages remain in the separate, sourced book sections. These guides and practice notes are available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit American Pronunciation Guide and retain the linked dictionary attributions. Videos and other reference material keep their own terms.
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