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German Word Stress: Which Syllable to Stress

Find the stressed syllable in native words, prefixed verbs, compounds and loanwords, and hear how stress can change meaning.

German stress is strong: the stressed syllable is loud and long, and the rest shrinks. Put it in the wrong place and even perfect sounds become hard to understand.

The good news: a handful of rules covers almost every word. Learn the stem rule, then the exceptions for prefixes, compounds and loanwords.

Tap any word to hear it.

Stress the first syllable of the stem

Native German words stress the first syllable of the stem, which is usually the first syllable of the word. Endings stay short and light.

  • Suffixes -ung, -heit, -keit, -lich, -in, -chen are never stressed.
  • Unstressed -e, -en, -el shrink to a quick schwa or vanish.
  • Adding endings doesn't move the stress: ˈArbeit, ˈArbeiten, ˈArbeiter.

  • Die Wohnung hat ein großes Fenster.

    The apartment has a big window.

  • Meine Freundin arbeitet im Sommer.

    My girlfriend works in the summer.

Prefixes that are never stressed

The inseparable prefixes be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent-, emp- and miss- stay light. The stress jumps to the stem right after them.

  • Say the prefix quickly, then land hard on the stem.
  • miss- is usually unstressed in verbs, stressed in nouns (Missverständnis).

  • be-, ge-[bə, ɡə]

    a quick schwa, stress comes next

  • er-, ver-, zer-[ɛɐ̯, fɛɐ̯, tsɛɐ̯]

    short and light, no English 'ur'

  • ent-, emp-, miss-[ɛnt, ɛmp, mɪs]

    clear vowel, but no stress

  • Kann ich bitte bezahlen?

    Can I pay, please?

  • Was können Sie empfehlen?

    What can you recommend?

Separable prefixes take the stress

Separable prefixes like an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, mit- and zurück- are really small words, so they carry the stress. Compare ˈanrufen with verˈstehen.

  • The participle keeps it: ˈangerufen, ˈaufgestanden.
  • When the prefix splits off, it's still stressed: Ich rufe dich ˈan.

  • separable vs inseparable prefix

  • stress on an- vs on -kom-

  • same spelling, stress changes meaning

  • same spelling, stress changes meaning

  • Ich rufe dich morgen an.

    I'll call you tomorrow.

  • Wann kommst du zurück?

    When are you coming back?

  • Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?

    Could you repeat that, please?

Compounds stress the first part

In a compound noun the first part gets the main stress; the rest is lighter. Inside that first part, the normal rules still apply.

  • Geburtstag: first part Geburt, stressed on -burt.
  • A few exceptions: Jahrhundert, Jahrzehnt stress the second part.

  • Der Bahnhof ist neben dem Krankenhaus.

    The station is next to the hospital.

  • Hast du deine Hausaufgaben gemacht?

    Did you do your homework?

Loanwords often stress the end

Many words from French, Latin and Greek stress the last or second-to-last syllable. Verbs in -ieren always stress the ie.

  • endings -tät, -tion, -ei[ˈtɛːt, ˈtsi̯oːn, ˈaɪ̯]

    the ending carries the stress

  • verbs in -ieren[ˈiːʁən]

    stress on ie; participle has no ge-

  • loanword vs native verb

  • month stresses the end

  • Ich studiere Musik an der Universität.

    I study music at the university.

  • Wir telefonieren morgen aus dem Büro.

    We'll talk on the phone tomorrow from the office.

Common mistakes

  • ✗ “FER-shtay-en”, stress on ver-

    ✓ [fɛɐ̯ˈʃteːən] — stress on -steh-

    Inseparable prefixes are never stressed.

  • ✗ “an-ROO-fen”

    ✓ [ˈanʁuːfn̩] — stress on an-

    Separable prefixes carry the stress.

  • ✗ “MOO-zik”, like English 'music'

    ✓ [muˈziːk] — stress on -sik

    This loanword keeps the stress at the end.

  • ✗ “te-LE-fo-nee-ren”

    ✓ [telefoˈniːʁən] — stress on -nie-

    All -ieren verbs stress the ie.

How to practise

  1. Tap the table on each stressed syllable: ˈanrufen, verˈstehen, ˈeinkaufen.
  2. Say bezahlen: whisper be-, then say -zahlen loud and long.
  3. Grow a compound: Haus, Hausaufgabe, keeping the stress on Haus.
  4. List five -ieren verbs and stress the ie in each.

Questions learners ask

Which syllable is stressed in German words?

Usually the first syllable of the stem, which is often the first syllable of the word. Unstressed prefixes and many loanwords are the main exceptions.

Are separable prefixes stressed in German?

Yes, always: ˈanrufen, ˈaufstehen, ˈmitkommen. Inseparable prefixes like be-, ver- and ent- are never stressed.

How can I tell if a loanword stresses the end?

Endings like -tät, -ion, -ei and -ieren are strong clues. When in doubt, a dictionary shows a stress mark or underline on the stressed syllable.

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