German Word Stress: Compounds, Prefixes and Loanwords

German stress is less predictable than Spanish stress but far more regular than English. A handful of principles cover almost all native words, and they come with a bonus: stress tells you whether a verb prefix separates or not, which matters for grammar as well as for pronunciation.

The basic rule: stress the stem

In native German words, stress falls on the first syllable of the stem. Since most simple words begin with their stem, this usually means the first syllable: Arbeit, Wasser, Mutter, Abend, lesen, freundlich. Endings and suffixes like -en, -er, -lich, -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ig, -isch are never stressed: Zeitung, Freiheit, wichtig.

Unstressed prefixes

The prefixes be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent- and emp- are never stressed. The stress goes on the stem that follows:

• bezahlen be-zah-len · Gespräch ge-spräch · erzählen er-zäh-len
• verstehen ver-ste-hen · zerstören zer-stö-ren · entdecken ent-de-cken · empfehlen emp-feh-len

The vowel e in be- and ge- is a weak schwa, and ver-, er-, zer- have the vocalic R, [fɐ], [ɐ], [tsɐ].

Separable prefixes are stressed

Separable verb prefixes, which split off in main clauses, always carry the stress: anrufen (an-ru-fen: ich rufe dich an), aufstehen, einkaufen, mitkommen, zurückgehen (zu-rück-ge-hen), fernsehen. The past participle keeps the stress on the prefix: angerufen, aufgestanden.

Prefixes that can be both

A few prefixes (über-, unter-, um-, durch-, wieder-, voll-, hinter-) can be separable and stressed, or inseparable and unstressed. The meaning changes, and stress is the only audible clue:

The umfahren pair is a classic German joke: the difference between going around the sign and running it over is a single stress.

Compound nouns

German forms long compound nouns, and the main stress normally falls on the first element: Haustür (Haus-tür), Bahnhof, Kindergarten, Krankenhaus, Handschuh. In longer compounds, the first element of the whole compound wins: Bahnhofsvorsteher, Weihnachtsmarkt.

There are exceptions. Some compound adverbs and place names stress the second element: Jahrhundert (Jahr-hun-dert), willkommen, zusammen, überall, Nordrhein-Westfalen. Words beginning with un- usually stress it (unmöglich, Unglück), although in long adjectives the stress can shift (unglaublich is often un-glaub-lich).

Loanwords

Words borrowed from Latin, French and Greek often keep their original stress, usually on the last or second-to-last syllable. Certain endings are reliably stressed:

Beware of cognates whose German stress differs from English: Musik (mu-sik), Hotel (ho-tel), Tabak (ta-bak in the north), Kaffee (kaf-fee in Germany, kaf-fee in Austria).

Frequently asked questions

Is German stress always on the first syllable?

In native German words, stress usually falls on the first syllable of the stem, which is often the first syllable of the word. Unstressed prefixes (be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent-, emp-, miss- in some words) and many loanwords are exceptions.

Which part of a German compound is stressed?

Normally the first part: Haustür, Bahnhof, Kindergarten. Some compounds, particularly place names and some adverbs, stress a later part: Jahrhundert, Nordrhein-Westfalen, willkommen.

How do I know if a verb prefix is separable?

Separable prefixes are stressed and split off in main clauses: ANrufen, ich rufe dich an. Inseparable prefixes are unstressed and never split: beSUchen, ich besuche dich. A few prefixes (über-, unter-, um-, durch-, wieder-) can be either, with different meanings.

Sources and further reading

• Wiese, R. (1996). The Phonology of German, chapter 8 on word stress. Oxford University Press.
• Féry, C. (1998). German word stress in Optimality Theory. Journal of Comparative Germanic Linguistics, 2(2), 101–142.
• Eisenberg, P. (2013). Grundriss der deutschen Grammatik: Das Wort (4th ed.). Metzler.

Read More in This Topic

• German Pronunciation for English Speakers: The Complete Sound Guide
• Word Stress Rules in English: What Learners Need to Hear First
• German Final Devoicing: Why Hund Sounds Like "Hunt"

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