Rhythm in English

English is stress-timed.

Examples

• Stressed syllables occur at regular intervals.

Key rules

• English is stress-timed: stressed syllables occur at roughly regular intervals, and unstressed syllables are squeezed in between
• This is why some sentences seem to have uneven syllables
• Practise by tapping the stressed beats

Common mistakes

• Pronouncing every syllable equally → Stress the content words and reduce the function words

Use cases

• Speaking fluently
• Listening to native speakers
• Poetry and songs