at, ra
m
n
n
ot, ti
n
ᵊn
hidde
n
, writte
n
p
p
ay, li
p
r
r
un,
r
ead
s
s
oon, bu
s
t
t
alk, be
t
v
v
an, lo
v
e
w
w
in,
w
ool
ʰw
wh
y,
wh
eat
x
lo
ch
z
z
oo, bu
zz
ʃ
sh
ip, wi
sh
ʒ
mea
s
ure, lei
s
ure
ŋ
si
ng
, worki
ng
tʃ
ch
eap, wit
ch
θ
th
in, my
th
ð
th
en, ba
the
dʒ
j
oy, brid
ge
Stress
Stress is shown by underlining the vowel in the stressed syllable:
two /tuː /
result /r I zʌ lt/
disappointing /d I səpɔ I nt I ŋ/
When a word is spoken in isolation, stress falls on the syllables which have vowels which are underlined. If there is one syllable underlined, it will have primary stress.
‘TWO’
‘reSULT’
If two syllables are underlined, the first will have secondary stress, and the second will have primary stress.
‘DISapPOINTing’
A few words are shown with three underlined syllables, for example ‘disqualification’ /d I skwɒ l I f I ke I ʃ ə n/. In this case, the third underlined syllable will have primary stress, while the secondary stress may be on the first or second syllable:
‘DISqualifiCAtion’ or ‘disQUALifiCAtion’
In the case of compound words, where the pronunciation of each part is given separately, the stress pattern is shown by underlining the headword: ‘o ff-pea k’, ‘fir st-cla ss’, but ‘o ff day’.
Stressed syllables
When words are used in context, the way in which they are pronounced depends upon the information units that are constructed by the speaker. For example, a speaker could say:
‘the reSULT was disapPOINTing’
‘it was a DISappointing reSULT’
‘it was VERy disappointing inDEED’
In (3), neither of the two underlined syllables in disappointing /d I səpɔ I nt I ŋ/ receives either primary or secondary stress. This shows that it is not possible for a dictionary to predict whether a particular syllable will be stressed in context.
It should be noted, however, that in the case of adjectives with two stressed syllables, the second syllable often loses its stress when it is used before a noun:
‘an OFF-peak FARE’
‘a FIRST-class SEAT’
Two things should be noted about the marked syllables:
They can take primary or secondary stress in a way that is not shared by the other syllables.
Whether they are stressed or not, the vowel must be pronounced distinctly; it cannot be weakened to /ə/, / I / or /ʊ/.
These features are shared by most of the one-syllable words in English, which are therefore transcribed in this dictionary as stressed syllables:
two /tuː /
inn / I n/
tree /triː /
Unstressed syllables
It is an important characteristic of English that vowels in unstressed syllables tend not to be pronounced clearly. Many unstressed syllables contain the vowel /ə/, a neutral vowel which is not found in stressed syllables. The vowels / I / and /ʊ/, which are relatively neutral in quality, are also common in unstressed syllables.
Single-syllable grammatical words such as ‘shall’ and ‘at’ are often pronounced with a weak vowel such as /ə/. However, some of them are pronounced with a more distinct vowel under certain circumstances, for example when they occur at the end of a sentence. This distinct pronunciation is generally referred to as the strong form, and is given in this dictionary after the word STRONG .
shall /ʃəl, STRONG ʃæl/
at /ət, STRONG æt/
Dictionary A-Z
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Aa
A , a /e I / (A's, a's )
1 N‑VAR A is the first letter of the English alphabet.
2 N‑VAR In music, A is the sixth note in the scale of C major.
3 N‑VAR If you get an A as a mark for a piece of work or in an exam, your work is extremely good.
4 A or a is used as an abbreviation for words beginning with a, such as 'acceleration', 'ampère', or 'answer'.
5 PHRASE People talk about getting from A to B when they are referring generally to journeys they need to make, without saying where the journeys will take them. □ Cars are for getting people from A to B in maximum safety.
a ◆◆◆ /ə, STRONG e I / or an /ən, STRONG æn/ A or an is the indefinite article. It is used at the beginning of noun groups which refer to only one person or thing. The form an is used in front of words that begin with vowel sounds. 1 DET You use a or an when you are referring to someone or something for the first time or when people may not know which particular person or thing you are talking about. □ A waiter entered with a tray. □ He started eating an apple. □ Today you've got a new teacher taking you. □ I manage a hotel.
2 DET You use a or an when you are referring to any person or thing of a particular type and do not want to be specific. □ I suggest you leave it to an expert. □ Bring a sleeping bag. □ I was waiting for a bus.