Pronunciation, Accent, and Sound–Spelling Relationships (発音・アクセント)
What this domain tests
This section checks whether you can match spelling to sound and identify stressed syllables. Tochigi-style items ask which underlined part is pronounced differently, which word has the same vowel sound, or which word has a different stress pattern. The Japanese terms are 発音 and アクセント.
Core rules and concepts
- English spelling is not phonetic. Learn groups: -ough words differ (though, through, cough, enough), and silent letters appear in knife, hour, write, and walk.
- The regular past -ed has three sounds: /t/ after voiceless sounds (stopped), /d/ after voiced sounds (played), and /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted, needed).
- Plural and third-person -s also varies: /s/, /z/, and /ɪz/ after sibilants.
- Stress is about loudness and vowel quality. Two-syllable nouns often stress the first syllable; two-syllable verbs often stress the second: RECord (noun) vs reCORD (verb).
- Content words carry stress; function words are usually weak.
Worked example
Which word has a different -ed pronunciation? played / wanted / visited / needed
Reasoning: 'Played' ends in a voiced sound, so -ed is /d/. 'Wanted,' 'visited,' and 'needed' end in /t/ or /d/, so -ed is /ɪd/. The different word is 'played.'
Traps that cost marks
- Pronouncing -ed as a separate syllable in every word. Only /t/ and /d/ endings add /ɪd/.
- Trusting spelling: 'cough' does not rhyme with 'though.'
- Ignoring stress shifts between noun and verb forms.
- Confusing /l/ and /r/, or /θ/ and /s/, in minimal pairs.
Exam habit
Say each option silently and group the sounds. Eliminate the two or three that share a sound before choosing.