Level A1 · Lesson 1
In English, words with more than one syllable have one syllable that is said louder and longer than the others. This is called word stress.
We show the stressed syllable with capital letters:
TA-ble MO-ther HAP-py
Not every word follows this rule — a few common short words (like prepositions) are stressed on the second syllable instead. You'll practise listening for these later in the lesson.
| Word | Stress Pattern | Syllables |
|---|---|---|
| table | TA-ble | 2 |
| window | WIN-dow | 2 |
| mother | MOTH-er | 2 |
| happy | HAP-py | 2 |
| beautiful | BEAU-ti-ful | 3 |
| newspaper | NEWS-pa-per | 3 |
Even in longer words, the first syllable is often stressed at this level. Listen carefully — the stressed syllable sounds stronger and clearer.
Click the speaker to listen to each word. Then click the pattern that shows the correct stress.
Click the speaker to listen to each word. Then click the word, and click the box that matches its stress. Warning: some of these words do not follow the first-syllable rule — listen carefully!
Drag each word into the correct box: 2 syllables or 3 syllables.