Noun and verb syllable stress

Noun and verb syllable stress

Some nouns and verbs have the same form in English. For example:

She set an Olympic record. (noun)
She's recording her new song in the studios. (verb)

However, the pronunciation (i.e. syllable stress) is different. Where "record" is used as a noun, the stress is on the first syllable: RE-cord (where "re" is the same sound as the "re" in "relative").

But when "record" is used as a verb, the stress is on the second syllable: re-CORD, and the "re" sounds like "ri", as in "remember".)

Here are some more examples of nouns and verbs that have the same form, but different pronunciation. You can listen to the audio (under each pair of sentences) to hear the differences in syllable stress.

To do with finance

increase
Noun: INcrease "There's been an increase in the number of students."
Verb: inCREASE "Numbers are increasing."

decrease
Noun: DEcrease "We've seen a decrease in the bird population."
Verb: deCREASE "Numbers are decreasing every year."

import
Noun: IMport "This is a cheap import."
Verb: imPORT "They import their oil from the UK."

export
Noun: EXport "Oil is one of their biggest exports."
Verb: exPORT "We need to export more."

discount
Noun: DIScount "Is there a discount on this?"
Verb: disCOUNT "They discounted the theories."

refund
Noun: REfund "I'd like a refund please."
Verb: reFUND "We'll refund you 50%."

To do with authority or argument

permit
Noun: PERmit "Do you need a permit to fish here?"
Verb: perMIT "They won't permit her to leave the country."

conflict
Noun: CONflict "They're reporting armed conflict in the area."
Verb: conFLICT "His opinion conflicted with hers."

contest
Noun: CONtest "She entered a beauty contest."
Verb: conTEST "They contested the results."

insult
Noun: INsult "Your offer is so low it's an insult."
Verb: inSULT "Don't insult me!"

protest
Noun: PROtest "There's a student protest today."
Verb: proTEST "They're protesting against cuts."

rebel
Noun: REbel "He was a rebel when he was younger."
Verb: reBEL "He rebelled against authority."

To do with renewal

rewrite
Noun: REwrite "That's a rewrite of an old song."
Verb: reWRITE "She rewrote her story."

update
Noun: UPdate "We've got some updates for you."
Verb: upDATE "We're updating our files."

upgrade
Noun: UPgrade "They got an upgrade on the flight."
Verb: upGRADE "It's time to upgrade our computer."

To do with communication

invite
Noun: INvite "I received an invite to her party."
Verb: inVITE "They invited us to their house."

misprint
Noun: MISprint "There's a misprint in the book."
Verb: misPRINT "He misprinted the word."

insert
Noun: INsert "Put a couple of inserts in this text."
Verb: inSERT "He inserted a few words into her paragraph."

survey
Noun: SURvey "Let's do a customer survey to find out."
Verb: surVEY "They surveyed over 1000 people."

Miscellaneous

contrast
Noun: CONtrast "There's a big contrast between you two."
Verb: conTRAST "He contrasted the two pictures."

detail
Noun: DEtail "It's just a minor detail."
Verb: deTAIL "The story details their struggle with poverty."

escort
Noun: EScort "You'll need an escort to get through security.
Verb: esCORT "He escorted her out of the door."

perfume
Noun: PERfume "He bought her a bottle of perfume for her birthday."
Verb: perFUME "The roses perfumed the room."

reject
Noun: REject "This is one of the rejects from the factory."
Verb: reJECT "He rejected her advice."

upset
Noun: UPset "The victory was an upset in the championships."
Verb: upSET "He upset her with his cruel remarks."

When noun and verb have different meanings

compound
Noun: COMpound "They lived in a compound."
Verb: comPOUND "Current policy is just compounding problems."

contract
Noun: CONtract "Have you signed the contract?"
Verb: conTRACT "The economy is contracting."

conduct
Noun: CONduct "The conduct of the student was unacceptable."
Verb: conDUCT "They're conducting an enquiry."

object
Noun: OBject "He treats her like an object."
Verb: obJECT "She objected to the proposals."

subject
Noun: SUBject "What subjects do you study?"
Verb: subJECT "She was subjected to harsh criticism."

present
Noun: PREsent "He gave her a present."
Verb: preSENT "He's going to present his findings."

project
Noun: PROject "They're working on a project."
Verb: proJECT "He projects himself well."

refuse
Noun: REfuse "The refuse collectors are on strike."
Verb: reFUSE "He refused permission."

desert
Noun: DEsert "They went travelling in the Sahara desert."
Verb: deSERT "The soldiers deserted their post."