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Question

Difficulty: EasyWord and Syllable Stress

Which option represents the correct primary stress placement for the word democracy?

  1. A
    DE-moc-ra-cy
  2. de-MOC-ra-cyAnswer
  3. C
    de-moc-RA-cy
  4. D
    de-moc-ra-CY

Answer

The correct stress pattern is 'de-MOC-ra-cy', with primary stress on the second syllable.
The correct primary stress representation is 'de-MOC-ra-cy' because polysyllabic nouns ending in '-cy' carry primary stress on the antepenultimate (third from last) syllable.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the syllabic structure and suffix of the word 'democracy'.
The word consists of four syllables (de-moc-ra-cy) and ends with the suffix '-cy'.
Suffixes determine syllable stress rules in standard English phonology.
2
Apply the antepenultimate stress rule for nouns ending in '-cy'.
Primary stress falls on the antepenultimate syllable (third from the end), which corresponds to the second syllable 'MOC'.
Words ending in '-cy', '-phy', '-gy', and '-ty' take stress on the antepenultimate syllable.

Key Concept

Antepenultimate syllable stress placement for words ending in '-cy'.
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Topics

Word and Syllable Stress

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