A Complete Guide to Written Spanish Accent Marks
in Spanish
by
Thomas J. Mathews, Ph.D.
http://weber.edu/tmathews
Weber State University
© October 1996
Revised Novemer 2010
The rules presented here reflect the changes made by the twenty-two national Academias de la Lengua Española in Guadalajara,
Mexico, on November 28, 2010.
Basic Rules of Thumb:
If a word ends in a vowel, or 'n' or 's', the stress is usually on the next to the last
syllable.
If a word ends in a consonant other than 'n' or 's', the stress is usually on the last
syllable.
.......
If the stress in a word doesn't follow rules 1 and 2, then the syllable that is stressed
needs a written accent mark over the vowel.
Section One
THE SYLLABLE IN SPANISH
..There are two kinds of syllables in Spanish: those that are stressed (tónicas) and those that are
unstressed (átonas).
..One-syllable words will be either tónicas or átonas.
..In words with more that one syllable, only one can be stressed.
.
Stressed vs Unstressed Syllables
In the following paragraph all of the stressed syllables are underlined. Notice that sometimes the stressed syllables have an accent
mark, but that usually they don't. However, an unstressed syllable will never, ever, have an accent mark. Some one-syllable words are
stressed and some are not. If you want to write a word and you don't know which syllables are stressed and which ones aren't, try
pronouncing the word out loud, or ask a native speaker to pronounce it for you.
Aquí todo va de mal en peor. La semana pasada se murió mi tía Jacinta, y el sábado, cuando ya la habíamos enterrado y comenzaba
a bajársenos la tristeza, comenzó a llover como nunca. A mi papá eso le dio coraje, porque toda la cosecha de cebada estaba
asoleándose en el solar. Y el aguacero llegó de repente, en grandes olas de agua, sin darnos tiempo ni siquiera a esconderaunque
fuera un manojo; lo único que pudimos hacer, todos los de mi casa, fue estarnos arrimados debajo del tejaván, viendo cómo el agua
fría que caía del cielo quemaba aquella cebada amarilla tan recién cortada.
Y apenas ayer, cuando mi hermana Tacha acababa de cumplirdoce años, supimos que la vaca que mi papá le regaló para el día de su
santo se la había llevado el río.
Section Two
DIPHTHONGS IN SPANISH
The vowels a, e, and o are strong in Spanish. They always form their own syllable wherever they
appear. The vowels u and i are weak, and only form their own syllable when they are separate from
other vowels. When a weak vowel is next to a strong vowel or another weak vowel, they
AUTOMATICALLY form a diphthong, that is, just one syllable.
.
...Diphthongs
In the following examples the number of syllables in each word is shown in parentheses after the word. The stressed syllables are in
boldface.
Strong vowels (a, e, o) always form their own syllables:
o - tor - gar (3)
ra - na (2)
a - van - za - da (4)
co - rre - o (3)
es - pa - ña (3)
ha - blar (2)
a - po - sen - to (4)
sá - ba - na (3)
Weak vowels (i, u) form a their own syllable if they are "surrounded" by consonants:
tri - bu (2)
mi - to (2)
ci - ne (2)
mís - ti - co (3)
cu - bo (2)
fút - bol (2)
la - rin - gi - tis (4)
es - pí - ri - tu (4)
Otherwise, weak vowels form a diphthong with the strong vowel that is next to them:
lue - go (2)
tie - nes (2)
a - dios (2)
co - mió (2)
far - ma - céu - ti - co (5)
buey (1)
dio (1)
que - réis (2)
Section Three
ONE-SYLLABLE WORDS
One-syllable words in Spanish never have an accent mark unless they fall into the group described in
Section Six. Don't get in the habit of putting accent marks on one-syllable words as some sort of
ornament. Don't put an accent mark on a one-syllable word unless you know why! This rule was
adopted by the Academia de la Lengua Española in 1952. There are still many native speakers (most of
them either old and educated before the new rules or not well educated at all) who continue to put
accent marks on many one-syllable words (particularly verbs). Don't do it! It's a nasty habit.
Section Four
POLYSYLLABIC WORDS
There are four categories of multisyllabic words in Spanish, as far as stress is concerned. A word's
stress category has to do with which syllable is tónica.
..Palabras llanas are stressed on the next to the last syllable (la penúltima).
..Palabras agudas are stressed on the last syllable (la última).
..Palabras esdrújulas are stressed on the third to the last syllable (la antepenúltima).
..Palabras sobresdrújulas are stressed on the fourth to the last syllable.
.
...Palabras llanas
All of the following words are stressed on the next to last syllable (o la penúltima sílaba).
no - che
ár - bol
bi - go - te
pe - rro
ca - ba - llo
co - ci - na
fa - bu - lo - so
lib - ro
ac - ci - den - te
fi - lo - so - fí - a
es - ta - cio - nes
hi - jos
cés - ped
hue - so
sa - ra - pe
.
...Palabras agudas
Each of the following words is stressed on the last syllable (o la última sílaba).
fri - jol
can - tar
hab - ló
an - dén
so - por - tar
sen - tí
ma - ra - tón
re - loj
ñan - dú
baj - ó
sar - tén
pin - cel
.
...Palabras esdrújulas
All of the following words are stressed on the third to the last syllable (o la antepenúltima sílaba). Notice that esdrújulas always have
a written accent mark.
fan - tás - ti - co
pa - ra - lí - ti - co
én - fa - sis
es - tú - pi - dos
lu - ciér - na - ga
mur - cié - la - go
es - drú - ju - la
miér - co - les
ri - dí - cu - lo
an - gé - li - cas
sín - te - sis
a - ná - li - sis
.
...Palabras sobresdrújulas
All of the following words are stressed on the fourth to the last syllable (¡o la preantepenúltima sílaba!). Notice that sobresdrújulas
always have a written accent mark.Notice also that in each of them the last two syllables are attached pronouns.
fu - mán - do - me - la
es - cri - bién - do - se - lo
di - cién - do - me - lo
Section Five
THE RULES
THE WRITTEN ACCENT MARK
(acento ortográfico or tilde)
..One-syllable words DO NOT have a written accent mark unless they follow the rules in the next
section.
..If a word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or n or s and it is not llana, put an accent mark over the
stressed syllable.
..If a word ends in a consonant (other than n or s) and it is not aguda, put an accent mark over the
stressed syllable.
..An accent mark will also be placed over a weak vowel (u or i) in order to break an automatic
diphthong.
.
...Words that end in a vowel (or "n" or "s") and are not llanas
ha - bló
viv - vió
can - té
sar - tén
cor - tés
fre - ne - sí
mas - ti - có
pon - dréis
Tim - buk - tú
.
...Words that end in a consonant (not "n" or "s") and are not agudas
ár - bol
cés - ped
chó - fer
pós - ter
di - fí - cil
fá - cil
.
...Breaking natural diphthongs
ba - úl
rí - o
ha - cí - a
a - ún
Ma - rí - a
con - ti - nú - a
pa - na - de - rí - a
mí - a
dú - o
.
Look at the differences between the following:
río
hacía
rio
river
hacia
I used to do. . .
he laughed
towards
Section Six
HOMOPHONOUS MONOSYLLABIC PAIRS
One-syllable words, when they are part of a homophone pair, are distinguished from each other by
marking the one that is stressed (tónica) with an accent mark.
.
To count as a homophonous monosyllabic pair, the two words must:
..Be just one syllable long
..Be spelled the same
..Belong to two distinct grammatical categories (i.e., nouns, verbs, pronouns, prepositions,
etc.)
Therefore, although the word "ve" is a homphone (from "ver" it means "he sees" and from "ir" it's a
command form for "go"), since both words are verbs (in the same grammatical category), neither one
carries an accent mark. Indeed they are both streesed without it. However, the word "se" can have
three meanings. One is the reflexive pronoun, is unstressed and does not have an accent mark, and the
others are both verbs (from "ser" it's a command for "be" and from "saber" it means "I know") and
both carry a written accent.
NEVER PUT AN ACCENT MARK ON A ONE-SYLLABLE WORD UNLESS YOU ARE
AWARE OF THE CORRESPONDING HOMOPHONE THAT DOES NOT NEED AN
ACCENT MARK.
.
...The list of homophonous monosyllables
I believe that this is a complete list of all of the one-syllable words that can carry an accent mark in Spanish. If you find any others,
please email me at [email protected] (but I haven't added a word since 1996).
UNSTRESSED WORD
STRESSED WORD
el
the ("el anillo")
él
he, him ("es él", "es para él")
te
yourself ("¿Cómo te llamas?")
té
tea
if
sí
yes, himself
himself, herself
sé
I know, be ("¡Sé bueno!")
......si......
se
mas
but ("quiero, mas no puedo")
más
more ("¿Quieres más?")
que
that ("más que nada")
qué
what ("¿Qué piensas?")
tu
your ("tu libro")
tú
you ("¿Cómo estás tú?")
mi
my ("mi casa")
mí
me ("es para mí")
de
of
dé
give
cuan
So (tan) (uso arcaico) ("Mira el pelo cuan largo lo
tengo")
cuán
how ("¡Cuán desgraciado soy! ")
cual
which ("Esta carta, la cual no tiene remitente,
llegó ayer")
cuál
which ("¿Cuál es el mejor?)
quien
who ("Hay quien dice eso")
quién
who ("¿Quién es esa mujer?")
Section Seven
PROSODIC STRESS & MISCELLANEOUS ACCENT MARKS
Interrogative pronouns have a tilde over their stressed syllable to distinguish them from adverbial
conjunctions.
The word aún means todavía or still, while aun means incluso or even.
In exception to the comment in Section One, that any Spanish word may have only one stressed
syllable, those adverbs that end in -mente, actually have two stresses: one (unwritten) on the suffix mente, and the original stress in the adjective from with the adverb is derived. If the adjective by itself
carries a tilde, then it is maintained in the adverbial form.
.
...Interrogatives
CONJUNCTIONS &
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
INTERROGATIVES
......que...... "that" (Es importante que estudies).
cuando
qué
"when" (Me acuesto cuando tengo sueño.)
"what" (¿Qué deseas comer?)
cuándo "when" (¿Cuándo vas a venir?)
como
"since/because", "like", "as" (Como tiene gripe, está
guardando cama. / Marta baila como una princesa.)
cómo
"how", "what" (¿Cómo te llamas?)
donde
"where" (Vamos a comer donde vive mi hermano.)
dónde
"where" (¿Dónde vives?)
quien
"who/that" (Fue Enrique quien rompió la ventana.)
quién
"who" (¿Quién escupió en el suelo?)
porque
"because" (Paco ayuna porque está de régimen.)
por qué "why" (¿Por qué hablas tanto?)
Notice that interrogatives carry accent marks even if they are in an indirect question. Observe the following:
Paco aprendió cómo son los gatos silvestres.
No sabemos dónde poner el sofá.
El profesor nos explicó el cómo y el porqué.
No sé quién me escribió la carta.
.
...Adverbs that end in "-mente"
If the adjective has an accent mark then the adverb with -mente does also.
ADJECTIVES
ADVERBS
ADJECTIVES
ADVERBS
lenta
lentamente
fácil
fácilmente
hermosa
hermosamente
cómoda
cómodamente
espiritual
espiritualmente
rápida
rápidamente
total
totalmente
crítica
críticamente
.....
simple
simplemente
ágil
ágilmente
alta
altamente
estrépita
estrépitamente
CHANGES MADE IN 2010
Previous to 2010:
Demonstrative pronouns carried a tilde over their stressed syllable to distinguish them from
demonstrative adjectives. These adjectives always precede nouns, the pronouns never do.
The new rule calls for no accent mark on any demonstratives at all.
The word sólo meant solamente, while solo meant alone (masculine singular).
Today, neither word carries an accent mark.
It is true that this allows for ambiguity (as in "Juan trabaja solo en la cocina"). However, the new rule
reflects an ambiguity that exists in the spoken langauge and this seems proper.
The word o (meaning or) carried an accent mark only between numerals so that it was not confused
with 0 (zero).
"Quiero cinco o seis dulces". vs "Quiero 5 ó 6 dulces".
Now, the rule is not to put an accent mark on "o".
The Academy's stated reasoning is that since computer printed text has become so comon, there is little
chance that an "o" (letter) and a "0" number" will be confused. I have my doubts and I believe users will
continue to put an accent on the word "ó", particularly when writing by hand.
When to use a written accent : Basic accent rules
RULE #1:
When a word ending in a vowel, n, or s is pronounced and the stress falls on the second-to-last
syllable, no written accent mark is needed. When the stress falls on any other syllable, a written
accent mark is needed.
Let's look at an example: The word "examen" ends in the letter n. Therefore, the natural stress
should fall on the second to last syllable.
e xa men
(a) e xa men
(b) e xa men
(c) e xa men
If you chose (b) you are right! When correctly pronounced, the stress falls on the second to last
syllable.
(b) e xa men
Since the stress falls on the syllable indicated by the rule, no written accent is needed on the word
"examen".
Note: Words with the stress on the second-to-last syllable are called graves or llanas in
Spanish.
Now, let's see what happens when we make this word plural. Since the word ends in the letter s,
the natural stress should fall on the second-to-last syllable.
e xa me nes
(a) e xa me nes
(b) e xa me nes
(c) e xa me nes
(c) e xa me nes
Letter (b) is correct. When we listen to the word, we hear that the stress actually falls on the
third-to-last syllable.
e xa me nes
Since the actual stress does not fall where the rule indicates, we must use a written accent mark
over the stressed syllable.
e xá me nes
Words with accents on the third-to-last syllable are called esdrújulas in Spanish and always
take a written accent.
RULE #2
When a word ending in a consonant other than n or s is pronounced and the stress falls on the
last syllable, no written accent mark is needed. When the stress falls on any other syllable, a
written accent mark is needed.
For example, the word "capital" ends in the letter l so the rule tells us that the stress should fall
on the last syllable.
ca pi tal
(a) ca pi tal
(b) ca pi tal
(c) ca pi tal
If you chose letter (c) you are correct!
Since the actual stress falls on the last syllable, no written accent mark is needed.
(c) ca pi tal
Note: Words with accents on the last syllable are called agudas in Spanish.
Let's look at another example:
This word ends in a z so the rule tells us that the stress should be on the last syllable.
la piz
(a) la piz
(b) la piz
If you chose the letter (a) you are correct!
When pronounced we hear the stress actually falls on the second-to-last syllable. Since the actual
stress is not on the syllable indicated by the rule, we must use a written accent mark.
lá piz
DIPHTHONGS
In Spanish, all vowels are either weak or strong.
A, E, and O are strong vowels.
U and I are weak vowels.
When two strong vowels appear together, two separate syllables are formed.
leer ==> le-er
Ma-teo ==> Ma-te-o
teatro ==> te-a-tro
When two weak vowels or one weak vowel and one strong vowel appear together, a
diphthong is produced. A diphthong is when one syllable contains two vowels, both of which are
heard.
Some examples of common words with diphthongs are:
estudiante ==> es-tu-dian-te
buenos ==> bue-nos
viernes ==> vier-nes
Colombia ==> Co-lom-bia
ciudad ==> ciu-dad
When two weak vowels appear together in a diphthong, the second vowel takes the stress.
Therefore, if a syllable with a weak/weak diphthong needs a written accent mark (according to the
accent rules), the accent mark should go over the second vowel.
For example:
cuídate ==> cuí-da-te
When a weak vowel and a strong vowel appear together in a diphthong, the strong vowel
takes the stress of the syllable. Therefore, if a syllable with a weak/strong diphthong needs a
written accent mark (according to the accent rules), the accent mark should go over the strong
vowel.
For example:
adiós ==> a-diós
después ==> des-pués
también ==> tam-bién
periódico ==> per-rió-di-co
To break a weak/strong diphthong and make two distinct syllables, a written accent is needed
over the weak vowel.
Compare the following:
Ma-rí-a vs. far-ma-cia
rí-o vs. Ma-rio
in-cre-í-ble vs. seis

Practice accentuation

Practice words ending in -ía vs. –ia.

Practice words ending in -ío vs. –io.