In Russian, the stressed syllable can fall anywhere in a word, and in many words it moves as the ending changes: рука́, but ру́ку. The moves are not random. A handful of patterns covers most words, and this guide sets them out.
A2 to C2·14 min read·Audio for every form
рука́ (ru-KA), ру́ку (RU-ku), ру́ки (RU-ki), рука́ми (ru-KA-mi). Red marks the stressed syllable; the blue line traces it moving between stem and ending.
The short answer
Stress (ударе́ние, u-da-RYE-ni-ye) is the syllable said louder and longer. In Russian it also changes the sound of every other vowel, because unstressed о and е weaken (see pronunciation). Most words keep their stress in one place: on the stem (кни́га, кни́ги) or on the ending (стол, стола́). A smaller but very common group has mobile stress, which jumps between the two (рука́, ру́ку). Learn each word with its key forms, and the patterns below will tell you the rest.
Stress can change the meaning
Russian writing doesn’t normally mark stress, so these pairs look identical on the page. Only the stress, and the vowel sounds it produces, tells them apart. Tap each word to hear the difference.
written замок
written мука
written плачу
written атлас
Three patterns for nouns
Linguists number Russian stress patterns with letters (a, b, c and more). For learners, three cover nearly every everyday noun. Each column shows the same five forms: nominative and genitive singular, accusative singular, nominative plural and genitive plural.
Pattern AAlways on the stemThe largest group. Once you know the dictionary form, the stress never moves.
book
school
Also: ма́ма, рабо́та, ко́мната, заво́д, магази́н.
Pattern BAlways on the endingThe stress sits on the ending whenever there is one. With no ending (стол), it falls on the last syllable.
table
doctor
Also: кот, нож, ключ, язы́к, плащ.
Pattern CSingular on the stem, plural on the endingCommon with short masculine and neuter nouns. The plural sounds noticeably different.
Mobile-stress nouns are few but extremely frequent: body parts, family, nature, the city. Two directions are common. Feminine nouns in -а often go back to the stem in the accusative and the plural. Short masculine nouns often go forward to the ending in the plural.
Unstressed о is said like a short “a”, which is why нога́ sounds like “na-GA” but но́гу keeps a clear “o”. Learn the accusative singular with these nouns: it shows the jump.
Noun
Nom. sg.
Acc. sg.
Nom. pl.
Gen. pl.
Dat. pl.
hand
head
water
wall
sister
window
tooth
horse
When the preposition takes the stress
In a few fixed combinations, a short noun hands its stress to the preposition in front of it (на, за, по, под, из, без). The noun is then said without any stress at all. This is C1 territory, heard in natural speech and set phrases; the version without the shift is also understood.
Verbs: present tense
Most verbs keep their stress in one place. A large, common group stresses the ending in the я form, then moves back to the stem for every other person. If you know the я form and the ты form, you know the whole present tense. See the present tense.
Verb
я · ending
ты · stem
он, она́
они́
люби́тьto love
писа́тьto write
мочьcan, be able
ходи́тьto go (on foot)
смотре́тьto watch
учи́тьto learn, teach
Verbs: past tense, the feminine jump
About fifty short, everyday verbs move the stress onto the ending -а́ in the feminine past only. The masculine, neuter and plural keep it on the stem. This pattern is where native speakers themselves argue most, so it is worth getting exactly right. See the past tense.
Verb
он
она́
оно́
они́
бытьto be
житьto live
датьto give
взятьto take
нача́тьto begin
поня́тьto understand
питьto drink
спатьto sleep
With не, some of these move the stress onto the не in the masculine and plural: не́ был, не́ было, не́ были, but не была́.
Short adjectives follow the same jump
Short adjectives (the compact forms used after a noun, like рад, “glad”) often stress the feminine ending -а́ too, exactly like the past tense. The masculine, neuter and plural keep the stem stress.
The key forms to learn with every word
You don’t need to memorise every form. Learn these few with each new word, and the stress of all the others follows from the patterns above. Good dictionaries and this site mark stress on every word.
NounsThe nominative, the genitive singular and the nominative plural. Together they show which pattern the word follows.
VerbsThe я form, the ты form and the feminine past. These three reveal every present and past stress.
Short adjectivesThe masculine and the feminine. If the feminine moves to -а́, the others usually stay on the stem.
Check yourself
Say each form out loud with the stress where you think it falls, then reveal it.