defensible — choose the one that has the correct stress as the word given below

Analyze the question: This is an oral English question on word stress. The word "defensible" is given, and you must pick the option that shows the stress on the same syllable as the correct pronunciation.

Concept: In English, the stress in a word falls on a particular syllable, which is pronounced louder, longer and with a higher pitch. Words ending in -ible / -able often take stress earlier in the word, not on the suffix itself.

Step by step:

1. Break the word into syllables: de-fen-si-ble (4 syllables).
2. The correct pronunciation is /dɪˈfensɪbl/, with the primary stress on the second syllable, -FEN-.
3. Now check the options: • A. DE-fen-sible: stress on the first syllable. Wrong. • B. de-FEN-si-ble: stress on the second syllable, fen. Correct. • C. d-fen-SI-ble: stress on the third syllable, and the syllable breakdown is malformed. Wrong. • D. den-fen-si-BLE: stress on the last syllable, and the spelling is wrong. Wrong.

Answer: B. de-FEN-si-ble

Tip: Many words beginning with the prefix de- (such as defend, defense, deny, depend) put stress on the syllable after the prefix. Words like defensible, defensive, defendant follow the same pattern: de-FEN-. Say the root word "defend" first, and you'll hear the stress fall on "fend."