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.”

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decrease

Noun: DEcrease “We’ve seen a decrease in the bird population.”

Verb: deCREASE “Numbers are decreasing every year.”

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import

Noun: IMport “This is a cheap import.”

Verb: imPORT “They import their oil from the UK.”

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export

Noun: EXport “Oil is one of their biggest exports.”

Verb: exPORT “We need to export more.”

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discount

Noun: DIScount “Is there a discount on this?”

Verb: disCOUNT “They discounted the theories.”

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refund

Noun: REfund “I’d like a refund please.”

Verb: reFUND “We’ll refund you 50%.”

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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.”

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conflict

Noun: CONflict “They’re reporting armed conflict in the area.”

Verb: conFLICT “His opinion conflicted with hers.”

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contest

Noun: CONtest “She entered a beauty contest.”

Verb: conTEST “They contested the results.”

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insult

Noun: INsult “Your offer is so low it’s an insult.”

Verb: inSULT “Don’t insult me!”

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protest

Noun: PROtest “There’s a student protest today.”

Verb: proTEST “They’re protesting against cuts.”

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rebel

Noun: REbel “He was a rebel when he was younger.”

Verb: reBEL “He rebelled against authority.”

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To do with renewal

rewrite

Noun: REwrite “That’s a rewrite of an old song.”

Verb: reWRITE “She rewrote her story.”

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update

Noun: UPdate “We’ve got some updates for you.”

Verb: upDATE “We’re updating our files.”

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upgrade

Noun: UPgrade “They got an upgrade on the flight.”

Verb: upGRADE “It’s time to upgrade our computer.”

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To do with communication

invite

Noun: INvite “I received an invite to her party.”

Verb: inVITE “They invited us to their house.”

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misprint

Noun: MISprint “There’s a misprint in the book.”

Verb: misPRINT “He misprinted the word.”

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insert

Noun: INsert “Put a couple of inserts in this text.”

Verb: inSERT “He inserted a few words into her paragraph.”

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survey

Noun: SURvey “Let’s do a customer survey to find out.”

Verb: surVEY “They surveyed over 1000 people.”

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Miscellaneous

contrast

Noun: CONtrast “There’s a big contrast between you two.”

Verb: conTRAST “He contrasted the two pictures.”

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detail

Noun: DEtail “It’s just a minor detail.”

Verb: deTAIL “The story details their struggle with poverty.”

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escort

Noun: EScort “You’ll need an escort to get through security.

Verb: esCORT “He escorted her out of the door.”

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perfume

Noun: PERfume “He bought her a bottle of perfume for her birthday.”

Verb: perFUME “The roses perfumed the room.”

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reject

Noun: REject “This is one of the rejects from the factory.”

Verb: reJECT “He rejected her advice.”

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upset

Noun: UPset “The victory was an upset in the championships.”

Verb: upSET “He upset her with his cruel remarks.”

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When noun and verb have different meanings

compound

Noun: COMpound “They lived in a compound.”

Verb: comPOUND “Current policy is just compounding problems.”

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contract

Noun: CONtract “Have you signed the contract?”

Verb: conTRACT “The economy is contracting.”

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conduct

Noun: CONduct “The conduct of the student was unacceptable.”

Verb: conDUCT “They’re conducting an enquiry.”

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object

Noun: OBject “He treats her like an object.”

Verb: obJECT “She objected to the proposals.”

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subject

Noun: SUBject “What subjects do you study?”

Verb: subJECT “She was subjected to harsh criticism.”

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present

Noun: PREsent “He gave her a present.”

Verb: preSENT “He’s going to present his findings.”

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project

Noun: PROject “They’re working on a project.”

Verb: proJECT “He projects himself well.”

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refuse

Noun: REfuse “The refuse collectors are on strike.”

Verb: reFUSE “He refused permission.”

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desert

Noun: DEsert “They went travelling in the Sahara desert.”

Verb: deSERT “The soldiers deserted their post.”

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