1. Pronunciation is Key: The most reliable way is to listen to the word being spoken. The syllable that is stressed, pronounced louder and clearer, is the accented syllable.
2. Dictionaries are Your Friend: Most dictionaries indicate the accented syllable with a stress mark (usually an apostrophe or a raised dot).
3. General Rules and Patterns:
* Prefixes and Suffixes: Usually, the accent falls on the root word, not on the prefix or suffix: *pre*sent, *re*cord, *un*happy, *care*fully
* Two-Syllable Words: The accent is often on the first syllable: *table*, *happy*, *paper*
* Words Ending in -tion, -sion, -ity, -ic, -ty: These often have the accent on the second-to-last syllable: *informa*tion, *deci*sion, *abili*ty, *graph*ic, *beau*ty
* Words Ending in -ate, -ive, -ous: These often have the accent on the third-to-last syllable: *cre*ate, *ac*tive, *danger*ous
* Words Ending in -ing: These usually maintain the same accent as the base word: *walk*ing, *sing*ing, *run*ning
4. Beyond General Rules:
* There are many exceptions to these rules! Words with Latin or Greek roots often have different accent patterns.
* Some words have multiple pronunciations, with different accented syllables depending on context.
* Relying solely on visual clues is unreliable. The accent doesn't always align with obvious syllable boundaries.
5. Resources:
* Online pronunciation dictionaries like Merriam-Webster or Oxford Dictionaries provide audio pronunciations.
* Apps like Google Translate can also help with pronunciation and syllable stress.
Remember, the best way to learn the accent of a word is to practice listening and speaking it correctly.