When words end in a vowel, “n,” or “s,” and don’t contain an accent mark, the stress falls on the second to last syllable. In English, a “tilde” refers to the “mustache” that goes over the “n” (ñ), and all other marks are called “accent marks.” However in Spanish, a “tilde” is used for both accent marks and tildes.Īccent marks are only used with five vowels (a, e, i, o, u), and they’re written from lower left to upper right on top: Spanish accents are called “tildes” in Spanish. Now, let’s establish some simple rules… 4 Rules for Spanish Accent Marks Rule #1: If a word DOES contain an accent mark, that mark tells us exactly which letter to put a stress on when we say it aloud.įor comprehension, an accent mark can tell us the differences between two words that sound the same but are spelled differently. It makes Spanish pronunciation and comprehension that much easier.įor pronunciation, if a word does not contain an accent mark, it follows the simple rules below (Rules 2 and 3). If you understand Spanish accents, you’ll not only impress native speakers, but you’ll also know how to pronounce words precisely, and you won’t be confused when you come across a written word with an accent.Īn accent mark shows you exactly how a word is supposed to be pronounced, and often times, it even shows you what that word means.

Why You Should Learn Spanish Accent Marks Understanding Spanish accent marks enables you to appreciate one of the many beautiful aspects of Spanish that makes it unique. The good news is that they’re easier to learn than they seem. This isn’t true, and ignoring them only hinders your learning. Beginners often assume that their word processor will help automatically place them when typing in Spanish and that accent marks and rules aren’t mandatory to fully understand Spanish. They don’t know what they mean, or know how to use them correctly. Most beginners ignore accent marks when they appear while learning Spanish. In this article, you’ll learn all about Spanish accent marks and when to use them… 4 Quick & Simple Rules for Using Spanish Accent MarksĪs you learn Spanish, you’ll come across rules that are important for writing.

E with an accent mark in web forms