1) Stress the first syllable of:

(examples: CLI-ma-te, KNOW-led-ge)

 Most two-syllable adjectives

(examples: FLIP-pant, SPA-ci-ous)

2) Stress the last syllable of:

 Most two-syllable verbs

(examples: re-QUI-re, de-CI-de)

3) Stress the second-to-last syllable of:

 Words that end in -ic 

(examples: ec-STAT-ic, geo-GRA-phic)

 Words ending in -sion and -tion 

(examples: ex-TEN-sion, retri-BU-tion)

4) Stress the third-from-last syllable of:

 Words that end in -cy, -ty, -phy and –gy

  (examples: de-MOC-racy, un-CER-tainty, ge-OGraphy, rad-OL-iogy)

 Words that end in –al

 (examples: ex-CEP-tio-nal, CRI-ti-cal)

1.  A word is normally stressed on the first syllable, unless there is a reason to put the
stress somewhere else.
2. The "reasons" are either suffixes (like -ity or -ion) or prefixes (like con-, dis-, ex- or in-).

Suffixes

3. The "-ion" rule: this rule takes priority over all other rules.

If the suffix (ending) starts with the letters i or  u this will affect the position of stress in a

word. [Exceptions: the endings -ist, -ism, -ize and -ing.]
Sample suffixes: -ion, -ual, -uous, -ial, -ient, -ious, -ior,  -ic, -ity, etc.
The stress comes on the syllable before the suffix.
Examples: Atlantic, comic, sufficient, relation, explanation, residual.
There are only a very few exceptions to this rule.

4.  Other suffixes do not affect the stress of a word. Sample suffixes: -al, -ous, -ly, -er, -ed,

-ist, -ing, -ism, -ment etc.
Examples: Permanent,   permanently, develop, development


Prefixes 

Words beginning with: a- ab- be- con- com- de- dis- e- ex- in- im- per- pre- and re, and to
which rule 3 does not apply.
5.  Prefixes in two-syllable words  are not normally stressed  except in  some nouns or
adjectives. 

Two-syllable  verbs  starting with a prefix are almost all stressed on the second syllable.
Examples -  To address,   to become, to complete, to contrast, to discuss, to export   to
improve, to present  

 Two-syllable nouns and adjectives  starting with a prefix need to be learned individually. 

Examples - 
Adjectives and nouns stressed on the prefix:  Absent, complex, distant,  an 'expert,
a  contract, a permit, a  record,  
Adjectives and nouns not stressed on the prefix:   extreme, concise  a report, an export,
an  expert
  In many cases, such as to export  / an export, or to conflict / a  conflict, verb and noun are
distinguished by being stressed differently. But unfortunately this is not always the case, as
in to report  / a report ,  to design / a design.
This is why all such words need to be learned individually  (and also why even native English
speakers sometimes make mistakes! )

6.  Prefixes in three-syllable words.

Prefixes are usually stressed in three-syllable nouns and adjectives, 
They are not always stressed in verbs, which need to be learned individually
Examples nouns and adjectives : Accident, confident, decadent,
exercise,  infamous, incident,  permanent;  
Examples verbs :    to consider, to envisage  but to complicate, to 'indicate
Useful note:  All three syllable verbs ending in -ate are stressed on the first syllable.

Rule 3 takes priority over all others, notably when a "rule 3 ending" is followed by a
"rule 4ending", 
Examples : perpetually, deliciously, conditional, conditioner, illusionist.
Or when a rule 3 ending is added to a two-syllable word stressed on the first syllable, 
Examples :  complex > complexity, contract, > contractual