Spanish grammar
Stress and written accents
Two simple rules tell you which syllable of a Spanish word to stress. A written accent marks the words that break those rules, and it also tells apart some short words that look the same.
Every Spanish word with more than one syllable has one stressed syllable, said a little louder and longer. In this guide it is shown in capitals. Two simple rules tell you where the stress falls, and a written accent marks the words that break them.
Where the Stress Falls
Two rules cover most words:
- Words ending in a vowel, n or s are stressed on the next-to-last syllable: CA-sa (house), a-MI-go (friend), HA-blan (they speak), CHI-cos (boys).
- Words ending in any other consonant are stressed on the last syllable: ciu-DAD (city), ha-BLAR (to speak), se-ÑOR (sir), ho-TEL (hotel).
If a word follows these rules, it needs no written accent.
When a Written Accent Is Needed
A written accent (´), called tilde or acento, is used only when a word breaks the two stress rules. It sits on the vowel of the stressed syllable, so you always know how to say the word.
| Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|
| Ends in a vowel, n or s, but stressed on the last syllable | café - coffee, mamá - mom, canción - song, autobús - bus |
| Ends in another consonant, but stressed on the next-to-last syllable | árbol - tree, fácil - easy, difícil - difficult |
| Stressed three syllables from the end (always marked) | número - number, teléfono - phone, película - movie, sábado - Saturday |
Only a, e, i, o, u can carry a written accent, and a word never has more than one. Accents stay on capital letters too: Él at the start of a sentence, ÁRBOL on a sign.
Accents That Split Vowels
Spanish usually blends i or u with a vowel next to it into a single syllable, as in bien (well) or cuidado (care). A written accent on the i or u stops that blend and makes it a separate, stressed syllable:
- día - day ("DEE-a")
- tío - uncle ("TEE-o")
- país - country ("pa-EES")
Accents in the Plural
The plural keeps the stress on the same syllable, but it adds a syllable at the end. So a written accent can appear or disappear:
- canción (song) becomes canciones: no accent needed now.
- joven (young) becomes jóvenes: accent needed now.
- examen (exam) becomes exámenes: accent needed now.
Accents That Change Meaning
Some short words are spelled the same but mean different things. The accent shows which one you mean; the pronunciation is the same.
| Without accent | With accent |
|---|---|
| si - if | sí - yes |
| el - the | él - he |
| tu - your | tú - you |
| mi - my | mí - me (after a preposition) |
| te - you (object) | té - tea |
| se - himself, herself, itself | sé - I know |
| que - that, than | qué - what |
- Sí, él es mi amigo. - Yes, he is my friend.
- Si tú quieres, vamos. - If you want, let’s go.
- El té es para mí. - The tea is for me.
Question Words
Question words carry a written accent whenever they ask something, both in direct questions and in indirect ones like "I don’t know where":
- ¿Qué quieres? - What do you want?
- ¿Dónde está el hotel? - Where is the hotel?
- ¿Cómo estás? - How are you?
- No sé cuándo llega. - I don’t know when he arrives.
When they don’t ask anything, the same words have no accent: Creo que es fácil (I think that it’s easy), Llámame cuando llegues (Call me when you arrive).