Long words can be really challenging to pronounce and we sometimes find ourselves trying to avoid them, especially if we’re not sure how to stress them. But there’s actually a good way to know where to place the primary stress in such words. And it’s all about the suffix.

In this episode, I’m going to talk about some common suffixes and how to stress words that have them.

Want to practice? Here’s a list of words with the most common suffixes + audio: http://theaccentsway.com/long-words/

Here’s a loose transcription of the words as explained in the episode:

• possibility: paa-suh-bi-luh-dee [IPA: pɑːsəˈbɪləti]
• activity: ak-ti-vuh-dee [IPA: ækˈtɪvəti]
• responsibility: ris-paan-suh-bi-luh-dee [IPA: rispɑːnsəˈbɪləti]
• alphabetical: al-fuh-be-duh-k’l [IPA: ælfəˈbetɪkəl]
• political: puh-li-ti-k’l [IPA: pəˈlɪtɪkəl]
• psychological: sai-kuh-laa-dji-k’l [IPA: saɪkəˈlɑːdʒɪkəl]
• biology: bai-aa-luh-djee [IPA: baɪˈɑːlədʒi]
• technology: tek-naa-luh-djee [IPA: tekˈnɑːlədʒi]
• sociology: sow-see-aa-luh-djee [IPA: soʊsiˈɑːlədʒi]
• kilometer: ki-laa-muh-d’r [IPA: kɪˈlɑːmətər]
• parameter: puh-ra-muh-d’r [IPA: pəˈræmətər]
• thermometer: th’r-maa-muh-d’r [IPA: θərˈmɑːmətər]

If you want to improve your accent and understand spoken English better, download my free American Accent audio crash course: https://theaccentsway.com/audio-accent-course/

You can also download an interactive list of 50 of the most mispronounced words in English and master the pronunciation of those tricky words: https://theaccentsway.com/mispro-signup/

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