Suffix -IFY is a two-syllable vowel suffix that changes a word into an action word or verb, as in “electric” to “electrify”.

When spoken, the first syllable of Suffix -IFY is unaccented and makes a schwa sound, and the second syllable has a slight accent and says /fī/. The main word will contain a stronger accent, as in “eLECtrify. 

Suffix /ə-fī/, Suffix /ə-fī/, Suffix /ə-fī/, electrify

Schwas don’t have a regular sound. For some speakers, the schwa sound in the first syllable of Suffix -IFY sounds like short /ĭ/ when spoken. For others, it may sound more like short /ŭ/. Either is correct. The key to the schwa sound is that it is shorter and softer.

With Suffix -IFY, the accent typically occurs in the syllable before the suffix. However, some consonants from the end of the base or root may join the first syllable of the suffix so that every spoken syllable has a vowel sound.