Which term refers to the ways in which words are pronounced?

• A. Accent
• B. Intonation
• C. Stress
• D. Pronunciation

Answer: (A)

Accent refers to the distinctive way a person or group pronounces words, including which vowels and consonants are used and how the sounds flow, which gives speech its regional or social character. This captures how pronunciation varies from speaker to speaker. Intonation is about the rise and fall of pitch across phrases, not about which sounds are chosen. Stress is about which syllables are emphasized, shaping rhythm but not the overall pronunciation pattern. Pronunciation is the general act of saying words, whereas accent specifically describes the variation in how those sounds are realized by different speakers. For example, the same word can sound clearly different in American and British speech due to accent.