Stressing the wrong syllable sometimes creates misunderstandings because people think you are pronouncing a completely different word. The following words are great examples of why syllable stress is such an important component of the American accent.

1. noble: honorable, distinguished, aristocratic
   Nobel: a prestigious award of achievement
   “He won the Nobel Prize for his noble effort.”
2. invalid: a sick or disabled person
   invalid: not valid, void
   “The invalid has an invalid permit.”
3. personal: individual, private
   personnel: a group of people employed in an organization or a place of work
   “Some of the personnel have some personal problems.”
4. eligible: worthy of choice, suitable, legally qualified
   illegible: impossible or hard to read
   “You won’t be eligible for that position if your handwriting is illegible.”
5. pronouns: parts of speech that substitute for nouns are pronouns such as he and she
   pronounce: to say words, to utter
   “Can you pronounce those pronouns correctly?”
6. comedy: a humorous drama or play
   committee: a group of people elected or appointed to perform a function
   “The committee watched a comedy.”
7. advantages: benefits or gain
   advantageous: beneficial, useful
   “It would be advantageous to learn about the advantages of that method.”
8. decade: ten years
   decayed: become rotten or ruined
   “Their relationship has decayed in the past decade.”
9. access: ability or right to enter
   excess: extra, additional
   “Do you have access to the excess data?”
10. content (noun): the subject matter of a book, speech, etc.
    content (adjective): satisfied and happy
    “Are you content with the content of that letter?”
11. career: profession
    carrier: a person or company that carries or transports something
    “He had a career working for an aircraft carrier.”
12. discus: a heavy disc of metal thrown in an athletic competition
    discuss: to talk over in detail, to examine in speech or writing
    “The discus throwers discussed the competition.”

Study Tip

Make a list of words commonly used at your workplace or in your field of study. Ask a colleague or classmate who is a native speaker to pronounce the words for you as you record them. Listen to the recording, carefully noting which syllable is stressed.