You will locate stress inside familiar place names and distinguish two pairs whose meanings change with stress. No recording is attached; the table gives written cues, not an audio test.
The idea
Many place names have non-final stress: AN-ka-ra, İs-TAN-bul, a-DA-na. Learn the stressed syllable with each name; neither “always first” nor “always second” works for all names. In the forms here, the locative leaves that stress in place: AN-ka-ra-da, İs-TAN-bul-da. Upper-case syllables in the table are teaching cues, not normal spelling; write Ankara, Ankara'da. Some everyday words also need their own stress pattern: ŞİM-di (now), lo-KAN-ta (restaurant). Keep the vowels clear and let the marked syllable stand out without shouting. This is stress within a word, not a command to emphasise that word in every sentence.
| Normal spelling | Stress cue |
|---|---|
| Ankara | AN-ka-ra |
| Ankara'da | AN-ka-ra-da |
| İstanbul | İs-TAN-bul |
| İstanbul'da | İs-TAN-bul-da |
| Adana | a-DA-na |
| Adana'da | a-DA-na-da |
| bebek | be-BEK |
| Bebek | BE-bek |
| mısır | mı-SIR |
| Mısır | MI-sır |
| şimdi | ŞİM-di |
| lokanta | lo-KAN-ta |
Examples
- Babam Ankara'da çalışıyor.My father works in Ankara.Name only: AN-ka-ra-da. The locative keeps the name’s stressed syllable.
- Teyzem İstanbul'da oturuyor.My aunt lives in Istanbul.Name only: İs-TAN-bul-da. The locative keeps the name’s stressed syllable.
- Ablam Adana'da yaşıyor.My older sister lives in Adana.Name only: a-DA-na-da. The locative keeps the name’s stressed syllable.
- bebekbaby
- BebekBebek (a neighbourhood in Istanbul)
- mısırmaize
- MısırEgypt
- şimdinow
- lokantarestaurant
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Do not move the stress to the ending just because you add a syllable. Also distinguish be-BEK (baby) from BE-bek (the Istanbul neighbourhood), and mı-SIR (maize) from MI-sır (Egypt). The letters alone do not tell you which meaning you heard.
Try it yourself
Type only the stressed syllable of Ankara: an, ka or ra.
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an
an: Ankara begins with the stressed syllable. Its three syllables do not make the middle one stressed; memorise this name with its initial beat.
Type only the stressed syllable of İstanbul'da (in Istanbul).
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tan
tan: in İstanbul'da, the added location ending does not take the name’s stress. Count the four syllables: the second still carries it.
Bebek is the neighbourhood name here. Type its stressed syllable: be or bek.
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be
be: the prompt names a neighbourhood, so the first syllable is stressed. Stress on the second syllable would give bebek, meaning a baby.
mısır means maize here. Type its stressed syllable: mı or sır.
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sır
sır: the prompt means maize, so this common noun has final stress. Initial stress would instead identify Mısır, Egypt.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Type only the stressed syllable of Ankara: an, ka or ra.
Type only the stressed syllable of İstanbul'da (in Istanbul).
Bebek is the neighbourhood name here. Type its stressed syllable: be or bek.
mısır means maize here. Type its stressed syllable: mı or sır.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Cover the cue column and say each name, then its locative form. Tap on the stressed syllable. Next alternate the two meanings of bebek and Bebek, keeping the vowel sounds unchanged.