We explain what a stressed syllable is, how to identify it, and various examples. We also explain what an unstressed syllable is.
What is a stressed syllable?
Spanish words can be separated into syllables, even if they are pronounced in a row. Among them, syllables that receive a greater intonation load than the others are called stressed syllables, while other syllables pronounced without such vocal emphasis are unstressed syllables.
Normally, a word has a single stressed syllable, which may (or may not) have an accent or tilde, where appropriate. Of course, in monosyllabic words, the only syllable will always be the stressed syllable. You must read about Christmas once.
In Spanish, it is important to be able to recognize the stressed syllable in words, given that ours is a language with phonologically relevant accents. That is, the placement of the stressed syllable affects the very meaning of the words, as is evident in the cases of “ánimo” (noun), “animó” (past tense verb), and “animo” (present tense verb).
How to identify the stressed syllable?
It is simple to identify the stressed syllable of a word. First, we can quickly find it if the word has an accent or tilde: it will always appear on the stressed syllable of the word, regardless of the accent. But in cases where there is no accent, simply pronounce the word, marking the syllables separately, to see which one stands out from the rest.
For example, if we wanted to find the stressed syllable in the word “cabin,” we simply need to separate the syllables and pronounce them aloud: “ca-bi-na.” This leaves us with three possible options (we will capitalize the possible stressed syllable):
- CA-bi-na
- Ca-BI-na
- Ca-bi-NA
The mere emphatic pronunciation will make us realize that the second option is the only possible one, since otherwise the word would be “cábina” or “cabiná.” Maybe you should definitely read about Tradition once.
Unstressed Syllable
Just as there are stressed syllables, there are unstressed syllables. Unstressed syllables are syllables that are not pronounced with emphasis. So, taking the previous example, we already know that the stressed syllable in “cabin” is the middle one (“bi”). Therefore, the other two syllables, the initial (ca) and the final (na), will necessarily be unstressed syllables.
Examples of Stressed Syllables
Below are some examples of stressed syllables in different types of words (again, the stressed syllable will appear in capital letters):
- pebble: gui-JA-rro.
- chameleon: ca-ma-LEON.
- apocalypse: a-po-ca-LIP-sis.
- merits: MÉ-ri-tos.
- camouflage: ca-mu-FLAR-se.
- song: can-CIÓN.
- merchants: co-mmer-ciers.
- liver: LIVER.
- sore muscles: so-re-lief.
- relieve: relieve.
- sun: SUN.
- incandescent: in-can-des-CEN-te.
- programmed: pro-gra-mo.
- mononucleosis: mo-no-nu-CLEO-sis.
- budding: BUD-DING.
- hippopotamus: hi-po-PÓ-ta-mus.
- gizzard: gizzard.
- bark: BARK.
- boredom: bo-rri-me-n-d.
- chase: chase.
- monster: MONS-true.
- place: lu-ce.
- oxidant: o-xi-DAN-te.
- comic: CÓ-mi-co.
References
All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, ensuring reliable content in line with our editorial principles.
- “Stressed and Unstressed Syllable” on Wikipedia.
- “Recognizing the Stressed Syllable” (video) on UnProfesor.
- “Stressed Syllable” on Plan Ceibal (Uruguay).
- “Accent” in the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts of the Royal Spanish Academy.
