Meter for dummies?

I have been told that words have natural stress on certain syllables. Thase being the stressed syllables you would use to add meter to your writing. The problem i am running to is when I say a word I hear the stress on a syllabel. Then I look it up and I am backwards apparently. For example the word meter. I say it and hear it as meTER. That is where my mind is putting the stress. When I look it up, it's METer. Which needless to say is making this a very painstaking task.