German and English are both lexical stress languages, but differ in the relative use of suprasegmental and segmental cues. The languages also tend to highlight different syllables within polysyllabic words. While Romance borrowings in German exhibit predominantly primary stress at the right edge of words (e.g., Admirál), analogous borrowings in English are very often stressed on the initial syllable (e.g., ádmiral). The question arises whether differences in primary stress position have an impact on L2 word processing. In the present study, German advanced learners of English were tested on their recognition of polysyllabic English words in a visual-world paradigm. Eye fixations were recorded while hearing instructions to click on one of four written words presented on a screen. Critical pairs overlapped segmentally for at least two syllables and had either primary stress on the initial syllable (ádmiral) or on the third syllable, with initial secondary stress (àdmirátion). German listeners used primary stress, but not secondary stress, for online word recognition. They also showed, unlike English listeners, a bias before target word onset towards words with stress in later syllables, potentially reflecting L1 metrical expectations, hence whether German listeners can use primary stress to facilitate early recognition remains unclear.