Quick answer
Russian stress is free (it can sit on any syllable) and mobile (it can move when the word changes). It is not marked in print — which is why Davaigo marks it everywhere.
Three patterns
| Pattern | Example | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| fixed on the stem | кни́га → кни́ги → кни́ге | never moves |
| fixed on the ending | стол → стола́ → столу́ | always on the ending |
| mobile | рука́ → ру́ку → ру́ки | moves between the two |
Roughly two thirds of nouns are fixed, which means most of the time the stress you learn is the stress you keep.
Pairs that only stress separates
These are not curiosities. пла́чу and плачу́ come up in real sentences, and the wrong one changes what you said.
How to learn it
Learn every word with its stress from day one, the way you learn gender. Say new words out loud — silent reading lets the stress stay vague. And use the recordings: one hearing fixes a stress better than ten readings.
Why the marks disappear in Russia
Russian print marks stress only in dictionaries and children’s books. Natives do not need it. Learners do — which is exactly the gap this site fills.
Typical mistakes
зво́нит
звони́т
The most-mocked stress mistake in Russian, made by natives too.
Learning a word without its stress
Learn кни́га, not книга
You will have to unlearn it later, which takes longer.
Check yourself
What does замо́к mean?