10 Words in the English Language that Change Meaning with Stress

If English is your first language, you are probably already (or subconsciously) aware of the many odd rules that English contains. For example, why is it that the plural of dog is dogs, but the plural of sheep is sheep? How come words like present and content can have more than one meaning?

These are just a few examples of how difficult the English language can be. As individuals who grew up speaking English, we often take these strange rules and constraints for granted. But for those that are learning English as a second language, these rules can be tricky to grasp!

Did you know that words can change meaning depending on the location of stress or emphasis in the word? When speaking, we often stress one part of a word without noticing and usually the location of that stress determines which part of speech the word falls under.

For example, if the stress is on the first part of the word, it will usually be a noun (N) or adjective (Adj); but, if the stress is on the second part of the word, it becomes a verb (V). Take a look at this list of 10 examples of words in the English language that change meaning with stress:

1. Present
a. PRE-sent (N): The opposite of absent.
b. Pre-SENT (V): To introduce or bring forward.

2. Contract
a. CON-tract (N): To enter into a formal or legally binding agreement.
b. Con-TRACT (V): To decrease in size, number or range.

3. Record
a. RE-cord (N): A person or thing’s previous conduct or performance.
b. Re-CORD (V): To convert something into permanent form (e.g., sound or performance)

4. Perfect
a. PER-fect (Adj): Having all the required or desirable elements, qualities or characteristics
b. Per-FECT (V): To makes something completely free of faults or defects

5. Content
a. CON-tent (N): The things that are held or included in something.
b. Con-TENT (Adj): A state of satisfaction or peaceful happiness.

6. Conduct
a. CON-duct (N): One’s personal behaviour or way of acting.
b. Con-DUCT (V): To organize and carry out.

7. Conflict
a. CON-flict (N): A serious disagreement or argument.
b. Con-FLICT (V): Having or showing confused or mutually inconsistent feelings.

8. Object
a. OB-ject (N): Something that you can see or touch, but is not alive.
b. Ob-JECT (V): To say something to express disapproval or disagreement with something.

9. Project
a. PRO-ject (N): A planned piece of work that has a specific purpose and often requires a lot of time.
b. Pro-JECT (V): To present or promote a particular view or image.

10. Permit
a. PER-mit (N): An official document giving someone authorization to do something.
b. Per-MIT (V): To give authorization or consent to someone to do something.

Learn More About English & Accent Modification

This is a great example of a task that can be used for those who are learning English as a second language. Often individuals report having difficulties being understood due to misplacement of stress in words such as these. If you have any concerns with your accent or are interested in learning more about our accent modification program, please give us a call today. Our team of speech-language professionals would be happy to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.