Unstressed – lack of emphasis on a syllable
Unstressed is when a syllable does not have emphasis placed on it. An unstressed syllable is a shorter, quieter sound.
Unstressed is resting in a “U” in shorts (short sound).
The U is used to indicate an unstressed syllable (see examples below).
Unstressed = short (shorter sound)
qUieter
Unaccented
U (the U shape)
Two unstressed syllables in a row, interspersed with other words, are called pyrrhic (see the page Types of feet)
Examples
Two unstressed syllables in a row can appear in words such as:
