| HOME | TABLE OF CONTENTS | RULES OF ACCENTUATION |
| HOW TO CORRECTLY PRONOUNCE WRITTEN WORDS | HOW TO CORRECTLY WRITE SPOKEN WORDS |
| DEFINITIONS RELATED TO ACCENTUATION | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stress: | The force heard or spoken on one syllable of every Spanish word. A Spanish word can never have more than one stressed syllable. | |
| Accent: | Same as "stress" above. | |
| Accent Mark: | the mark ( ´ ) sometimes written above a vowel to indicate that the indicated vowel receives the main stress in a word. It is sometimes used to differentiate two words which have different meanings but are spelled alike. | |
| Prosodic Accent: (Accento prosódico) |
Stress which is heard or spoken correctly according to the first two rules below. | |
| Orthographic Accent: (Accento ortográfico) |
Stress which is applied according to the last two rules below, i.e. written. | |
| RULES | EXAMPLES | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | If a word ends with A, E, I, O, U, N, or S, then you must stress the next to last syllable. | ca | la | BA | za Gon | ZA | les |
| 2. | If a word ends with any consonant other than N or S, then you must stress the last syllable. | en | ten | DER ca | pi | TAL |
| 3. | If a spoken word does not follow the first two rules, a written accent mark must be placed above the vowel in which the stress is actually heard. | can | CIÓN MÉ | di | co Rod | RÍ | guez |
| 4. | Sometimes two words sound the same and are spelled the same, but have two different meanings; in this case a written accent mark may, by tradition, be required over the stressed vowel on one of the two words. In case of doubt, consult a Spanish Dictionary. | de (of) , dé (give - imperative) si (if) , sí (yes) mi (my) , mí (to me) este (this) , éste (this one) |
| 1. | Divide the word into syllables (either with a pencil or mentally). |
| 2. | If there is a written accent mark, speak the stress on the vowel which has the accent mark |
| 3. | If there is not a written accent mark and the word ends with A, E, I, O, U, N, or S, speak the stress on the vowel or diphthong in the next to last syllable. |
| 4. | If there is not a written accent mark and the word ends with any consonant which is not N or S, speak the stress on the vowel or diphthong in the last syllable. |
| 1. | Write the word down. |
| 2. | Divide the word into syllables (mentally or with a pencil). |
| 3. | Say the word aloud or in your mind. Hear which syllable has the stress. |
| 4. | If the word ends with A, E, I, O, U, N, or S, and the stress is not on the next to last syllable, write an accent mark over the vowel which is actually stressed, otherwise if the stress is on the next to last syllable, do not write an accent mark. |
| 5. | If the word ends with any consonant except N, or S, and the stress is not on the last syllable, write an accent mark over the vowel which is actually stressed, otherwise if the stress is on the last syllable, do not write an accent mark. |