Stress in compound words compound words usually consist of two words (two components) that may be written separately, with a hyphen, or as one word. rules and recommendations for the use of the hyphen with compound words are rather complicated and subject to change, so it is best to consult a good up-to-date dictionary. Compound word stress may not seem obvious. words such as blackbird and black bird may look similar, but their stress patterns and meaning are different. if you’re a native english speaker, accenting certain words in your speech comes naturally to you. but if you’re not a native english speaker, stress patterns might not be obvious. When two words are used together to yield a new meaning, a compound is formed. compound words can be written in three ways: as open compounds (spelled as two words, e. g. ice cream), closed compounds (joined to form a single word, e. g. doorknob), or hyphenated compounds (two words joined by a hyphen, e. g. long-term). Wordstress rules. ther...