A syllable is part of a word that contains one vowel sound. In every word of two or more syllables, one syllable is stressed. It’s called ‘stressed syllable’. The vowel sound in that syllable is louder, higher in pitch, and longer than the other vowel sounds in the same word. In this book, stressed syllable is written in larger boldface. (Example: academy [əkædəmi]) Unstressed syllables are often pronounced with the schwa vowel sound (ə). All one syllable words have primary stress when spoken separately. (Examples: big, day) The contrast between stressed and unstressed syllables is very important because it helps to create the rhythm of English. The native English speakers rely more on stressed syllable to understand what you say than on the individual sounds of the word. This book lists 16,616 core English words that are divided into 25 vowel categories containing stressed syllables and listed alphabetically within each category. Also the words are divided into three different levels of ESL (English as a Second Language) so that learners can practice pronunciation according to their levels. Level 1 (for elementary & middle school) is written in red, level 2 (for high school) is written in blue, and level 3 (for university and above) is written in black. Words with same spelling but different stressed syllables or words with same spelling but different pronunciation are differentiated using following parts of speech. [n.] noun [a.] adjective [v.] verb This book is ideal for learners of English as a second language who want to communicate more effectively and also for native English speakers who wish to change dialects. * Please refer to the website for more information. www.corevoca.com