In a phonological phrase, the final syllable is often lengthened while the ones preceding it shortened. Therefore, when producing Thai stress, one must keep the last syllables lengthened with the non-final syllables shortened.
Incorrect stress pattern may cause slight confusion to listeners. Speakers uttering the wrong stress may deliver unintended meanings. In particular, they may create more words than intended. For example, "wolf" is a compound made up of mǎa "dog" and pàa "wild, forest". If a speaker does not lengthen the second and shorten the first, he will not have formed a compound noun, and thus creating two words: "dog" and "forest" not "wolf".