Identify the word with a different stress pattern

Analyze the question: We need to find the word whose stress falls on a different syllable from the others. Let's mark the stress in each word.

Concept: In English, stress is the syllable pronounced with more force, length and pitch. In dictionaries, the stressed syllable is marked in the pronunciation.

Working through each word:

• A. maintenance /ˈmeɪntənəns/ has stress on the 1st syllable: MAIN-te-nance
• B. candidate /ˈkændɪdeɪt/ has stress on the 1st syllable: CAN-di-date
• C. enigma /ɪˈnɪɡmə/ has stress on the 2nd syllable: e-NIG-ma
• D. primacy /ˈpraɪməsi/ has stress on the 1st syllable: PRI-ma-cy

Result: Maintenance, candidate and primacy are all stressed on the first syllable. Enigma is stressed on the second syllable, so it is the odd one out.

Tip: Many three-syllable nouns take first-syllable stress (CANdidate, PRIMacy), but words with a weak opening syllable like "e-" /ɪ/ often push the stress later (eNIGma, aMEnity, eNORmous). Whenever you see a word starting with a weak prefix-like syllable (e-, a-, de-, re-), check whether the stress shifts to the second syllable.

Final answer: C