Word stress can be challenging in English but it’s extremely important to get it right if we want to be understood! (Have a look at my Top Tips page here to read more about stress-timed languages.)  To make matters worse, just when you thought it was complex enough, you discover that sometimes words that are spelt the same change their meaning when we alter the stress. A noun (or adjective) can become a verb and occasionally, the meaning can change altogether 😖 

 

Relax! You can use this page to double-check that you’re using the right pronunciation in the right context. The stress is highlighted in red and the noun forms (and occasional adjectives) are followed by the verbs. Read them out loud and listen closely to the differences.

 

Noun to verb differences

 

addict

Her son was a heroin addict and he stole from his mother regularly

At the moment I’m addicted to box sets, but hopefully as soon as the weather improves, I’ll get out more!

 

alternate

After the divorce he could only see the children on alternate weekends (adjective)

We’ll have to alternate. You have the car this week, and I’ll take it the week after (verb)

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attribute

Open-mindedness and a non-judgmental attitude are essential attributes for all healthcare professionals

The playful quote is attributed to William Osler, who was famous for his sense of humour

 

commune

He spent two years living in a hippie commune somewhere in Oregon

I love to commune with nature and try to get to the forest whenever I can

 

compound

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound containing carbon and oxygen

His stress levels were compounded by the fact that there was a train strike and he was late for work

 

compress

He placed a cold compress on her ankle and told her to elevate her foot

I compressed the soil around the newly planted tree by stamping it down with my boots

 

confine

The weather was so bad we were trapped within the confines of the house for days

When I broke my leg as a child I was confined to bed for weeks

 

conflict

The conflict went on for years and thousands of people died

His opinion strongly conflicts with mine. We’re never going to agree!

 

conscript

The new conscripts were being put through their paces by the sergeant major

At the start of the war he was conscripted into the navy and he ultimately achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer

 

consort

Prince Albert was famously the consort of the nineteenth century British monarch, Queen Victoria

He accused his daughter of consorting with inappropriate people and grounded her for a month!

 

contest

She came first in the dance contest and proudly displayed her winner’s medal around her neck

She’s planning to contest the terms of the divorce because she’s convinced he’s hiding all his money!

 

contrast

The contrast between them couldn’t be bigger. You’d never believe they were twins!

In my essay I have to compare and contrast the two main characters in the novel

 

convert

He didn’t think he’d like foreign food but now he’s a convert! He can’t eat enough of it!

I’ve converted my smallest bedroom into an office and I work from home now

 

convict

The convicts were lined along the road, wearing stripy uniforms and clearing the undergrowth

He was convicted of burglary and sent back to prison

 

decrease

There’s been a slight decrease in the number of people claiming unemployment benefit

The number of people dying from the disease has been slowly decreasing over the last few years

 

discount

I got a 20% discount off my new boots. I saved quite a bit of money actually!

We can’t discount the possibility that the victim may have known her attacker

 

escort

The Prime Minister never travelled around the city without a police escort

The security guard escorted him off the premises and said he’d call the police if he came back in 

 

exploit

I’m sick of hearing about his alleged exploits in South America. I’m sure he makes half of his stories up!

She believes it’s important to shop ethically and only buy products made by workers who haven’t been exploited by their employers

 

export

He works for an import/export company and travels extensively in the Far East

She exports her products all over the world. It’s a very successful business

 

extract

The author will be reading extracts from her new novel to an invited audience

The dentist extracted the tooth successfully and the pain stopped almost immediately

 

fragment

The archaeologists were very excited about the fragments of pottery found at the dig

The pieces of her life began to fragment after she lost her job

 

frequent

She made frequent visits to Barcelona in the nineties because the company she worked for had its head office there (adjective)

When he lived in Manchester he used to frequent the bars in the Northern Quarter and he got to see several up-and-coming bands there

 

impact

The diagnosis had a terrible impact on his mental health

This lottery win is going to impact strongly on the whole family

 

implant

The paediatrician suggested that a cochlear implant might be an effective solution for their child’s hearing problem

A fertilised human ovum generally implants in the endometrium 7-9 days after ovulation

 

import

Imports arriving at the docks are increasing on an annual basis

The country imported a lot of its fruit from Columbia

 

imprint

The buckle on my shoe had left an imprint of its shape on my foot

The memory of that holiday will be imprinted on my mind forever!

 

increase

I’m going to demand an increase to my annual leave allowance because I don’t think I get enough at the moment

He’s planning to increase the amount of fibre in his diet for health reasons

 

insert

The podiatrist gave me some inserts for my shoes to help with the heel pain

He inserted the key into the ignition and turned, but the engine wouldn’t start

 

insult

She got tired of listening to his insults about her family and decided to leave right away!

Try not to insult my father like you did last time you met. You know how sensitive he is!

 

invite

We’ve had an invite to my cousin’s wedding. It’s in August next year

I’ve invited loads of people to the party, so I hope we’ve got enough room for everyone!

 

misprint

This paper’s full of misprints. Doesn’t anyone proofread things any more?

He was furious when he realised the newspaper had misprinted his name and spelt it ‘Bones’!

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object

Several people reported sighting a strange object in the sky 

I really object to the fact that he treats his mother like a slave!

 

perfect

I thought I’d found the perfect job but it turned out to be mainly clerical work (adjective)

I’d like to try and perfect my English before I move to London (verb)

 

perfume

She was wearing a really strong perfume and I found it quite overpowering

The flowers perfumed the room with a beautiful, fresh scent

 

permit

You need a residents’ parking permit to park on this street

She won’t permit the kids to stay out after 10 pm

 

pervert

He was a strange old man and a lot of the neighbours suspected him of being a bit of a pervert

He was convicted of perverting the course of justice and received a prison sentence of ten months

 

produce

The farmers’ market sells fresh produce and locally made crafts

It took him a long time to produce his latest book, but once it was published it was obvious it had been worth the wait!

 

progress

Our progress along the route was hampered by the fact that my many blisters were making me walk really slowly

He’s progressing well in his studies and is hoping to go to university

 

protest

The student protests caused quite a bit of disruption in the town centre but they certainly got plenty of publicity

She kept protesting her innocence but it was obvious that no-one believed her

 

rampage

The football hooligans went on a huge rampage through town and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage

The bull went rampaging through the village, terrifying the residents until it was caught by the farmer

 

rebel

She was a bit of a rebel at school but now she’s a doctor she has to be better behaved!

It’s normal for children to want to rebel against their parents. It’s part of the circle of life!

 

recall

She made an appointment with the doctor because her husband was worried about her short term recall

I don’t recall ever meeting him before. Are you sure we’ve met?

 

record

I’ve got a huge record collection and I don’t know what to do with it now I stream all my music

I’ve recorded the series and I’m going to watch it all over the weekend 

 

refill

This coffee’s lovely. I think I’ll get a refill. Do you want one?

I asked the waiter if he could refill our water jug

 

refund

The shirt was too small, so I took it back and they gave me a refund

I changed my mind about buying it and they refunded my money immediately 

 

reject

I got a lovely pottery dish from the factory. It’s one of their rejects, so it was really cheap, but you can barely see the flaw

J K Rowling was rejected by loads of publishers before someone finally agreed to print Harry Potter

 

rewrite

He was hoping the editor would finally be happy with his work because this was his fourth rewrite and he didn’t think he could alter anything else

I hated what I’d written and decided to rewrite the whole lot of it

 

survey

A survey published today says that most people don’t trust politicians at all!

They surveyed the landscape and spotted a route down the mountain to the east

 

suspect

The suspect is currently being interviewed by the police

I suspect it was my neighbour who scratched my car. He’s a terrible driver!

 

torment

He was living in a world of torment and indecision and didn’t know where to turn!

Don’t torment the dog. If you do, he’ll bite you!

 

transfer

I’m applying for a transfer to another department because I don’t get on with my boss

He transferred some money into his daughter’s bank account to help her with her rent

 

transplant

He needs a heart and lung transplant as soon as possible 

I’m planning to transplant a couple of trees from pots into the garden

 

transport

I can’t go up north for the weekend because I haven’t got any transport. My car’s in the garage and the trains are on strike

We transport most of our goods via the road system rather than by rail, which is why traffic is such a problem here 

 

update

Can you give me the latest update on the situation with our suppliers?

He called me into his office to update him on the recent developments

 

upgrade

Yay! The airline have given us an upgrade to Business Class!

I need to upgrade my phone. The battery runs down really fast on this one

 

upset

There’s been a bit of an upset at grandma’s because Johnnie ate the last piece of cake and Jenny hadn’t had a slice at all!

You really upset me when you said my new haircut didn’t suit me!

 

Same spelling, different meaning…

 

conduct

I can’t believe they still employ him; he’s been disciplined so many times for his conduct!

Mahler first conducted in New York at the Metropolitan Opera in 1908

 

contract

He’s signed a multi-million pound contract to play for Real Madrid

When you straighten your arm, the biceps relax and the triceps contract

 

desert

The Sahara desert stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea

He deserted from the army and was on the run for three weeks until the police found him hiding at his sister’s 

 

incline

The cafe was at the top of a steep incline and there were amazing views from its terrace

I’m inclined to believe him this time because his story does have an element of truth about it

 

object

The room was full of objects he’d collected from his extensive travels all over the world

The defence lawyer objected to the question but the judge overruled her

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present

I got loads of wonderful presents for my birthday. People are so thoughtful!

She will be presenting the results of her research at a conference in Bologna in July

 

project

My son needs help with a project he’s got to do for school. Do you know anything about volcanoes?

He always projects an impression of being unapproachable but he’s really quite nice once you get to know him

 

refuse

During the strike, the streets were full of refuse for weeks and the army was called in to try to clear it 

She refused to see him or answer any of his calls after she’d read the article he’d written about her

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subject

Sixteen year olds are examined on about ten different subjects; then they narrow them down to three or four at eighteen 

He subjected her to years of abuse but she was always too frightened to tell anyone