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0z\"\u002F>",true,{"id":36,"title":37,"author":38,"authorsTake":39,"body":40,"category":1147,"cefrLevel":1148,"date":1149,"description":1150,"extension":1151,"faqs":1152,"heroImage":1148,"intro":1148,"language":1148,"lastUpdated":1149,"meta":1171,"navigation":34,"path":1172,"seo":1173,"socialDescription":1148,"stem":1174,"tags":1175,"tldr":1180,"verbSlugs":1148,"__hash__":1181},"resources\u002Fresources\u002Fspanish-stress-and-accents.md","Spanish Word Stress and Accent Marks: How to Read Any Word Out Loud","Michael McGettrick","After a year as an English assistant in Le Havre and an Erasmus year in Madrid, the single biggest delta between French and Spanish for me as a reader was honesty. Spanish tells you exactly where to stress every word, every time, with two rules and one diacritic. French requires you to learn each word's final-letter silence pattern and then re-time everything at the phrase level. The reward for ten minutes with the Spanish stress rules is months of reading aloud without getting stuck.\n",{"type":41,"value":42,"toc":1134},"minimark",[43,48,52,55,58,63,66,82,85,202,205,209,212,232,253,269,272,364,371,375,378,586,595,599,610,655,658,699,702,706,713,881,888,926,929,933,956,987,1005,1011,1015,1018,1021,1030,1034,1037,1054,1057,1124,1127,1131],[44,45,47],"h1",{"id":46},"spanish-word-stress-and-accents","Spanish Word Stress and Accents",[49,50,51],"p",{},"Spanish is one of the most readable major languages in the world. Once you have two rules and a short list of exceptions, you can pick up any Spanish word, including ones you have never seen, and put the stress on the correct syllable almost every time.",[49,53,54],{},"This is the opposite of English, where a competent adult reader can encounter a brand-new written word and have no clue where the emphasis falls. In Spanish, the spelling itself tells you. The job of the acute accent (á, é, í, ó, ú) is to signal the exceptions to two stress defaults so the system stays predictable even for unusual words.",[49,56,57],{},"This page covers the two stress rules, when and why the accent mark appears, the homograph accents that change meaning rather than sound, the diaeresis on the ü, and the practical drills that turn the rules into instinct.",[59,60,62],"h2",{"id":61},"the-two-stress-rules","The two stress rules",[49,64,65],{},"Every Spanish word has exactly one stressed syllable. Where that stress falls is determined by the final letter of the word.",[67,68,69,77],"ol",{},[70,71,72,76],"li",{},[73,74,75],"strong",{},"Words ending in a vowel, the letter n, or the letter s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable."," This is the default and the majority case.",[70,78,79],{},[73,80,81],{},"Words ending in any other consonant are stressed on the last syllable.",[49,83,84],{},"That is the whole rule for unmarked words. No accent on the spelling means the stress follows one of those two patterns.",[86,87,88,104],"table",{},[89,90,91],"thead",{},[92,93,94,98,101],"tr",{},[95,96,97],"th",{},"Final letter",[95,99,100],{},"Default stress",[95,102,103],{},"Examples",[105,106,107,133,154,172],"tbody",{},[92,108,109,113,116],{},[110,111,112],"td",{},"vowel (a, e, i, o, u)",[110,114,115],{},"Second-to-last syllable",[110,117,118,121,122,125,126,128,129,132],{},[73,119,120],{},"ca","-sa, ",[73,123,124],{},"ha","-blan, ",[73,127,70],{},"-bro, ven-",[73,130,131],{},"ta","-na",[92,134,135,138,140],{},[110,136,137],{},"n",[110,139,115],{},[110,141,142,145,146,149,150,153],{},[73,143,144],{},"vi","-ven, ca-",[73,147,148],{},"mi","-nan, ",[73,151,152],{},"jo","-ven",[92,155,156,159,161],{},[110,157,158],{},"s",[110,160,115],{},[110,162,163,165,166,168,169,171],{},[73,164,70],{},"-bros, ",[73,167,120],{},"-sas, ",[73,170,124],{},"-bla-mos",[92,173,174,177,180],{},[110,175,176],{},"any other consonant",[110,178,179],{},"Last syllable",[110,181,182,183,186,187,190,191,194,195,198,199],{},"ho-",[73,184,185],{},"tel",", doc-",[73,188,189],{},"tor",", mu-",[73,192,193],{},"jer",", na-",[73,196,197],{},"riz",", fe-",[73,200,201],{},"liz",[49,203,204],{},"A handful of vowel + s and vowel + n endings carry the stress on the last syllable - those are the words that need the written accent. Read on.",[59,206,208],{"id":207},"when-the-written-accent-appears","When the written accent appears",[49,210,211],{},"A Spanish word wears the acute accent (á, é, í, ó, ú) when its actual stress does not match the default. The accent is the spelling's way of telling you the rule does not apply to this word.",[49,213,214,215,218,219,223,224,227,228,231],{},"Take ",[73,216,217],{},"música"," (music). The word ends in a vowel, so the default rule predicts stress on the second-to-last syllable: ",[220,221,222],"em",{},"mu-SI-ca",". But the word is actually pronounced ",[220,225,226],{},"MU-si-ca",", stressed on the first syllable. To signal that the default does not apply, the spelling carries the accent on the ",[73,229,230],{},"ú",": música.",[49,233,214,234,237,238,240,241,244,245,248,249,252],{},[73,235,236],{},"canción"," (song). The word ends in ",[73,239,137],{},", so the default rule predicts stress on the second-to-last syllable: ",[220,242,243],{},"CAN-cion",". But the actual stress is on the last syllable: ",[220,246,247],{},"can-CION",". The accent on the ",[73,250,251],{},"ó"," signals the override.",[49,254,214,255,258,259,262,263,248,266,252],{},[73,256,257],{},"fácil"," (easy). The word ends in a consonant other than n or s (an l), so the default rule predicts stress on the last syllable: ",[220,260,261],{},"fa-CIL",". But the actual stress is ",[220,264,265],{},"FA-cil",[73,267,268],{},"á",[49,270,271],{},"The four patterns of accent placement, named after the position of the stressed syllable, are:",[86,273,274,290],{},[89,275,276],{},[92,277,278,281,284,287],{},[95,279,280],{},"Term",[95,282,283],{},"Stress position",[95,285,286],{},"Default-rule fit",[95,288,289],{},"Written accent?",[105,291,292,310,328,347],{},[92,293,294,299,301,304],{},[110,295,296],{},[73,297,298],{},"Aguda",[110,300,179],{},[110,302,303],{},"Matches rule 2 (ending in consonant other than n\u002Fs)",[110,305,306,307],{},"Only if word ends in vowel, n, or s. ",[220,308,309],{},"Café, canción, autobús.",[92,311,312,317,319,322],{},[110,313,314],{},[73,315,316],{},"Llana \u002F grave",[110,318,115],{},[110,320,321],{},"Matches rule 1 (ending in vowel, n, or s)",[110,323,324,325],{},"Only if word ends in any other consonant. ",[220,326,327],{},"Fácil, lápiz, cárcel.",[92,329,330,335,338,341],{},[110,331,332],{},[73,333,334],{},"Esdrújula",[110,336,337],{},"Third-to-last syllable",[110,339,340],{},"Always breaks both rules",[110,342,343,344],{},"Always. ",[220,345,346],{},"Música, plástico, sábana.",[92,348,349,354,357,359],{},[110,350,351],{},[73,352,353],{},"Sobresdrújula",[110,355,356],{},"Fourth-to-last (or earlier)",[110,358,340],{},[110,360,343,361],{},[220,362,363],{},"Dígamelo, devuélvemelo.",[49,365,366,367,370],{},"A useful reframing: any word stressed on the third-to-last syllable or earlier ",[73,368,369],{},"always"," wears a written accent. The two default rules cover only the first two stress positions; anything earlier needs the mark.",[59,372,374],{"id":373},"worked-examples","Worked examples",[49,376,377],{},"Read the column on the right out loud and check yourself against the column on the left.",[86,379,380,393],{},[89,381,382],{},[92,383,384,387,390],{},[95,385,386],{},"Spelling",[95,388,389],{},"Stress (capitals = stressed)",[95,391,392],{},"Why",[105,394,395,409,423,437,450,464,478,491,505,518,532,545,558,572],{},[92,396,397,400,406],{},[110,398,399],{},"casa",[110,401,402,405],{},[73,403,404],{},"CA","-sa",[110,407,408],{},"Ends in vowel, rule 1, no accent needed.",[92,410,411,414,420],{},[110,412,413],{},"hablan",[110,415,416,419],{},[73,417,418],{},"HA","-blan",[110,421,422],{},"Ends in n, rule 1, no accent needed.",[92,424,425,428,434],{},[110,426,427],{},"libros",[110,429,430,433],{},[73,431,432],{},"LI","-bros",[110,435,436],{},"Ends in s, rule 1, no accent needed.",[92,438,439,442,447],{},[110,440,441],{},"hotel",[110,443,182,444],{},[73,445,446],{},"TEL",[110,448,449],{},"Ends in consonant (not n\u002Fs), rule 2, no accent needed.",[92,451,452,455,461],{},[110,453,454],{},"doctor",[110,456,457,458],{},"doc-",[73,459,460],{},"TOR",[110,462,463],{},"Ends in consonant, rule 2.",[92,465,466,469,475],{},[110,467,468],{},"café",[110,470,471,472],{},"ca-",[73,473,474],{},"FÉ",[110,476,477],{},"Ends in vowel; stress on last syllable breaks rule 1. Accent needed.",[92,479,480,482,488],{},[110,481,236],{},[110,483,484,485],{},"can-",[73,486,487],{},"CIÓN",[110,489,490],{},"Ends in n; stress on last syllable breaks rule 1.",[92,492,493,496,502],{},[110,494,495],{},"autobús",[110,497,498,499],{},"au-to-",[73,500,501],{},"BÚS",[110,503,504],{},"Ends in s; stress on last syllable breaks rule 1.",[92,506,507,509,515],{},[110,508,257],{},[110,510,511,514],{},[73,512,513],{},"FÁ","-cil",[110,516,517],{},"Ends in l; stress on second-to-last syllable breaks rule 2.",[92,519,520,523,529],{},[110,521,522],{},"lápiz",[110,524,525,528],{},[73,526,527],{},"LÁ","-piz",[110,530,531],{},"Ends in z; stress on second-to-last syllable breaks rule 2.",[92,533,534,536,542],{},[110,535,217],{},[110,537,538,541],{},[73,539,540],{},"MÚ","-si-ca",[110,543,544],{},"Esdrújula. Always accented.",[92,546,547,550,556],{},[110,548,549],{},"plástico",[110,551,552,555],{},[73,553,554],{},"PLÁS","-ti-co",[110,557,544],{},[92,559,560,563,570],{},[110,561,562],{},"matemáticas",[110,564,565,566,569],{},"ma-te-",[73,567,568],{},"MÁ","-ti-cas",[110,571,544],{},[92,573,574,577,583],{},[110,575,576],{},"dígamelo",[110,578,579,582],{},[73,580,581],{},"DÍ","-ga-me-lo",[110,584,585],{},"Sobresdrújula. Always accented.",[49,587,588,589,591,592,594],{},"Read those aloud once and the rule pattern sinks in. The accent is not decoration; it is the only piece of information distinguishing ",[220,590,226],{}," from ",[220,593,222],{},", which would be a different (non-existent) word.",[59,596,598],{"id":597},"diphthongs-hiatuses-and-the-tricky-cases","Diphthongs, hiatuses, and the tricky cases",[49,600,601,602,605,606,609],{},"A Spanish syllable can contain a single vowel or a diphthong (two vowels that fuse into one syllabic nucleus). The strong vowels are ",[73,603,604],{},"a, e, o",". The weak vowels are ",[73,607,608],{},"i, u",". The combinations behave as follows:",[611,612,613,623,641],"ul",{},[70,614,615,618,619,622],{},[73,616,617],{},"Two strong vowels next to each other"," form two syllables. ",[220,620,621],{},"Te-a-tro"," (theatre) is three syllables.",[70,624,625,628,629,632,633,636,637,640],{},[73,626,627],{},"A strong vowel plus a weak vowel"," forms one syllable (a diphthong) - unless the weak vowel is the one being stressed, in which case the spelling writes an accent on the weak vowel to break the diphthong. ",[220,630,631],{},"Pais"," would be one syllable, but the country word is ",[73,634,635],{},"país"," (pa-",[73,638,639],{},"ÍS","), two syllables, with the accent forcing the hiatus.",[70,642,643,646,647,650,651,654],{},[73,644,645],{},"Two weak vowels next to each other"," form a diphthong. ",[220,648,649],{},"Ciu-dad"," (city) is two syllables; ",[220,652,653],{},"fui"," (I went) is one.",[49,656,657],{},"This explains a whole class of accented words you will see all the time:",[611,659,660,686],{},[70,661,662,665,666,669,670,673,674,677,678,681,682,685],{},[73,663,664],{},"día"," (DI-a), ",[73,667,668],{},"María"," (Ma-RI-a), ",[73,671,672],{},"frío"," (FRI-o), ",[73,675,676],{},"tío"," (TI-o), ",[73,679,680],{},"mío"," (MI-o). The accent on the ",[73,683,684],{},"í"," breaks what would otherwise be a one-syllable diphthong.",[70,687,688,690,691,694,695,698],{},[73,689,635],{}," (pa-IS), ",[73,692,693],{},"raíz"," (ra-IZ), ",[73,696,697],{},"oído"," (o-I-do). Same pattern, with different surrounding vowels.",[49,700,701],{},"Once you know the rule, you can read these correctly first time.",[59,703,705],{"id":704},"the-homograph-accents-tilde-diacrítica","The homograph accents (tilde diacrítica)",[49,707,708,709,712],{},"A small closed set of one-syllable words carry an accent that does ",[73,710,711],{},"not"," change pronunciation. The accent exists only to distinguish two words that would otherwise be spelled the same. These are not stress rules; they are spelling rules.",[86,714,715,728],{},[89,716,717],{},[92,718,719,722,725],{},[95,720,721],{},"Unaccented",[95,723,724],{},"Accented",[95,726,727],{},"Distinction",[105,729,730,748,765,782,799,816,833,847,864],{},[92,731,732,735,738],{},[110,733,734],{},"el (the)",[110,736,737],{},"él (he)",[110,739,740,741,744,745],{},"Article vs personal pronoun. ",[220,742,743],{},"El libro"," vs ",[220,746,747],{},"él lo trajo.",[92,749,750,753,756],{},[110,751,752],{},"tu (your)",[110,754,755],{},"tú (you, informal subject)",[110,757,758,759,744,762],{},"Possessive vs subject pronoun. ",[220,760,761],{},"Tu casa",[220,763,764],{},"tú vienes.",[92,766,767,770,773],{},[110,768,769],{},"mi (my)",[110,771,772],{},"mí (me, prepositional)",[110,774,775,776,744,779],{},"Possessive vs pronoun. ",[220,777,778],{},"Mi padre",[220,780,781],{},"para mí.",[92,783,784,787,790],{},[110,785,786],{},"si (if)",[110,788,789],{},"sí (yes)",[110,791,792,793,744,796],{},"Conjunction vs affirmative. ",[220,794,795],{},"Si llueve",[220,797,798],{},"sí, claro.",[92,800,801,804,807],{},[110,802,803],{},"te (you, object)",[110,805,806],{},"té (tea)",[110,808,809,810,744,813],{},"Object pronoun vs noun. ",[220,811,812],{},"Te llamo",[220,814,815],{},"un té.",[92,817,818,821,824],{},[110,819,820],{},"se (reflexive)",[110,822,823],{},"sé (I know)",[110,825,826,827,744,830],{},"Reflexive pronoun vs verb. ",[220,828,829],{},"Se levanta",[220,831,832],{},"sé la respuesta.",[92,834,835,838,841],{},[110,836,837],{},"mas (but, archaic)",[110,839,840],{},"más (more)",[110,842,843,844],{},"Old conjunction (rare today) vs adverb. ",[220,845,846],{},"Más rápido.",[92,848,849,852,855],{},[110,850,851],{},"de (of, from)",[110,853,854],{},"dé (give, subjunctive)",[110,856,857,858,744,861],{},"Preposition vs verb form. ",[220,859,860],{},"De Madrid",[220,862,863],{},"que él dé la respuesta.",[92,865,866,869,872],{},[110,867,868],{},"aun (even - included)",[110,870,871],{},"aún (still - not yet)",[110,873,874,875,744,878],{},"Adverb senses split. ",[220,876,877],{},"Aun los niños",[220,879,880],{},"aún no ha venido.",[49,882,883,884,887],{},"There is a parallel set for interrogative and exclamatory words. ",[220,885,886],{},"Qué, quién, cómo, cuándo, dónde, cuánto, cuál"," all wear an accent in questions and exclamations, direct or indirect. They drop the accent when they are used as relative pronouns or conjunctions.",[611,889,890,896,902,908,914,920],{},[70,891,892,895],{},[73,893,894],{},"¿Qué quieres?"," What do you want? (interrogative, accented)",[70,897,898,901],{},[73,899,900],{},"El libro que quieres."," The book that you want. (relative pronoun, unaccented)",[70,903,904,907],{},[73,905,906],{},"No sé qué quieres."," I do not know what you want. (indirect question, accented)",[70,909,910,913],{},[73,911,912],{},"Como tú dices."," As you say. (conjunction, unaccented)",[70,915,916,919],{},[73,917,918],{},"¿Cómo lo sabes?"," How do you know? (interrogative, accented)",[70,921,922,925],{},[73,923,924],{},"No sabe cómo lo hizo."," He does not know how he did it. (indirect question, accented)",[49,927,928],{},"This is the only Spanish accent rule where you have to think about meaning rather than syllable count. Treat it as a small closed list.",[59,930,932],{"id":931},"the-diaeresis-on-the-ü","The diaeresis on the ü",[49,934,935,936,939,940,943,944,947,948,951,952,955],{},"Spanish has one more diacritic worth knowing about: the dieresis (also called ",[220,937,938],{},"crema"," or ",[220,941,942],{},"diéresis","), the two dots above the ",[73,945,946],{},"u"," in ",[73,949,950],{},"güe"," and ",[73,953,954],{},"güi"," sequences.",[49,957,958,959,961,962,951,965,939,968,971,972,951,975,978,979,982,983,986],{},"The rule it modifies: a ",[73,960,946],{}," between ",[73,963,964],{},"g",[73,966,967],{},"e",[73,969,970],{},"i"," is normally silent. The combinations ",[73,973,974],{},"gue",[73,976,977],{},"gui"," are pronounced like English \"gay\" and \"gee\" - the u exists only to keep the g hard. ",[220,980,981],{},"Guerra"," is \"GE-rra\". ",[220,984,985],{},"Guitarra"," is \"gi-TA-rra\".",[49,988,989,990,992,993,996,997,1000,1001,1004],{},"When you want the ",[73,991,946],{}," to be pronounced in those positions, you write the dieresis to signal it. ",[220,994,995],{},"Vergüenza"," (shame) is \"ver-GWEN-za\". ",[220,998,999],{},"Pingüino"," (penguin) is \"pin-GWI-no\". ",[220,1002,1003],{},"Antigüedad"," (antiquity) is \"an-ti-GWE-dad\".",[49,1006,1007,1008,1010],{},"The dieresis does not affect stress. It is purely a phonetic marker for the ",[73,1009,946],{}," itself.",[59,1012,1014],{"id":1013},"why-the-system-works","Why the system works",[49,1016,1017],{},"Spanish achieves universal readability with a small toolset because the orthography was deliberately reformed several times to keep spelling and pronunciation aligned. The result is that the language pays a small ongoing cost - the accents - to remain phonetically transparent.",[49,1019,1020],{},"Compare with English, where the spelling system is the result of centuries of partial reforms, unreformed historical layers, and borrowed vocabulary that kept its original spelling. The cost is that an adult literate in English cannot reliably pronounce an unfamiliar written word. Spanish gets reading aloud right by tying the accent rule directly to the syllable count.",[49,1022,1023,1024,1029],{},"For an adult learner, this means the up-front cost of memorising the two stress rules and the dozen homograph accents pays for itself the first day you start reading aloud and have nothing else to memorise about pronunciation. The rest of Spanish vowel-and-consonant sound mapping is in the ",[1025,1026,1028],"a",{"href":1027},"\u002Fspanish\u002Falphabet","Spanish alphabet guide",".",[59,1031,1033],{"id":1032},"practical-drill","Practical drill",[49,1035,1036],{},"Read the following five-word groups aloud. If you can place the stress correctly without checking, the two rules have stuck.",[611,1038,1039,1042,1045,1048,1051],{},[70,1040,1041],{},"libro, libros, libreta, librería, libritos",[70,1043,1044],{},"canta, cantas, cantó, cantáramos, canción",[70,1046,1047],{},"joven, jóvenes, juventud, juventudes, juvenil",[70,1049,1050],{},"útil, útiles, utilidad, utilizar, utilísimo",[70,1052,1053],{},"examen, exámenes, examinar, examinador, examinadora",[49,1055,1056],{},"Three patterns to notice:",[611,1058,1059,1079,1097],{},[70,1060,1061,1064,1065,1068,1069,1072,1073,744,1076,1029],{},[73,1062,1063],{},"Plurals can move the stress"," by adding a syllable. ",[220,1066,1067],{},"Joven"," is jó-ven (rule 1); ",[220,1070,1071],{},"jóvenes"," (jó-ve-nes) becomes esdrújula and so has to wear the accent. Same for ",[220,1074,1075],{},"exámenes",[220,1077,1078],{},"examen",[70,1080,1081,1084,1085,1088,1089,1092,1093,1096],{},[73,1082,1083],{},"Diminutives"," (-ito, -ita) and ",[73,1086,1087],{},"augmentatives"," (-azo, -ón) reset the stress count to fit the new ending under the two rules. ",[220,1090,1091],{},"Librito"," is li-BRI-to (no accent); ",[220,1094,1095],{},"librón"," is li-BRÓN.",[70,1098,1099,1102,1103,1106,1107,1110,1111,1106,1114,1117,1118,1106,1121,1123],{},[73,1100,1101],{},"Verb forms with attached object pronouns"," keep the original verb's stress and accent it when the rules would otherwise move the stress. ",[220,1104,1105],{},"Dame"," is ",[73,1108,1109],{},"DA","-me; ",[220,1112,1113],{},"dámelo",[73,1115,1116],{},"DÁ","-me-lo (esdrújula, accent required); ",[220,1119,1120],{},"dámelos",[73,1122,1116],{},"-me-los.",[49,1125,1126],{},"Once you can read those five groups aloud without checking, you have the system. The rest is exposure.",[59,1128,1130],{"id":1129},"a-final-note","A final note",[49,1132,1133],{},"Two rules. A short list of homographs. One diaeresis. That is the entire diacritic apparatus of standard Spanish, and it is what makes Spanish the single most readable major language for an adult learner. Spend ten minutes here, then go and read.",{"title":1135,"searchDepth":1136,"depth":1136,"links":1137},"",2,[1138,1139,1140,1141,1142,1143,1144,1145,1146],{"id":61,"depth":1136,"text":62},{"id":207,"depth":1136,"text":208},{"id":373,"depth":1136,"text":374},{"id":597,"depth":1136,"text":598},{"id":704,"depth":1136,"text":705},{"id":931,"depth":1136,"text":932},{"id":1013,"depth":1136,"text":1014},{"id":1032,"depth":1136,"text":1033},{"id":1129,"depth":1136,"text":1130},"Methodology",null,"2026-06-11T00:00:00+00:00","The Spanish stress rules in full: which syllable gets the emphasis by default, when the written acute accent overrides the default, and the small set of homograph accents that change meaning, not sound. Built so an adult learner can pick up any Spanish word and know where the stress falls.","md",[1153,1156,1159,1162,1165,1168],{"q":1154,"a":1155},"Why is the Spanish acute accent only on vowels?","Spanish stress lives on a vowel. The acute accent (á, é, í, ó, ú) tells you which vowel carries the stress. Consonants do not need the mark because they are never the nucleus of a syllable.",{"q":1157,"a":1158},"Is the accent ever just for spelling, not pronunciation?","Yes - the homograph accents (also called *tilde diacrítica*). *Él* and *el* sound identical; the accent on *él* tells you it is the pronoun, not the article. Same for *tú* vs *tu*, *sí* vs *si*, *té* vs *te*, *sé* vs *se*, *mí* vs *mi*, *más* vs *mas*. These are a closed list - you do not need to learn a rule, you learn the seven or eight items.",{"q":1160,"a":1161},"What happened to the accent on *sólo* and on demonstrative pronouns?","The Real Academia made both optional in 2010. Modern Spanish writes *solo* (adverb) and *este*, *ese*, *aquel* (pronouns) without accents. Older texts and some traditionalists keep them. Either is accepted; modern teaching materials use the unaccented form.",{"q":1163,"a":1164},"How do I type accented Spanish letters on a non-Spanish keyboard?","On Windows: hold Alt and type the four-digit code on the numeric keypad (Alt+0225 for á, Alt+0233 for é, Alt+0237 for í, Alt+0243 for ó, Alt+0250 for ú, Alt+0241 for ñ). On macOS: hold Option+E then the vowel, or Option+N then n for ñ. On iOS or Android: long-press the vowel on the on-screen keyboard.",{"q":1166,"a":1167},"Do native speakers always write the accents correctly?","No. Informal Spanish online drops a lot of accents, and you will see *si*, *mas*, *como*, *donde* used in places where the formal rule asks for *sí*, *más*, *cómo*, *dónde*. The accents matter for clarity and for any written work that goes through an editor. Reading aloud, you can usually infer the intended meaning from context. Learning to write them correctly is part of becoming literate in the language.",{"q":1169,"a":1170},"Does the stress rule apply to all word classes?","Yes, with one wrinkle: verb forms with added object pronouns (*dándomelo*, *cómpramelas*) keep the accent on the original stressed vowel even when the rule would predict a different position. The stress does not move when the clitic is added, so the written accent appears to enforce that.",{},"\u002Fresources\u002Fspanish-stress-and-accents",{"title":37,"description":1150},"resources\u002Fspanish-stress-and-accents",[1176,1177,1178,1179],"spanish pronunciation","stress","accents","diacritics","Spanish stress is genuinely regular. Two rules cover the unmarked majority: words ending in a vowel, n, or s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable; everything else is stressed on the last syllable. The written acute accent (á, é, í, ó, ú) appears only when a word breaks those defaults. A small closed set of one-syllable words also wear an accent purely to distinguish homographs (él vs el, tú vs tu, sí vs si), where the accent changes meaning without changing pronunciation. Once you have the two stress rules and the homograph list, you can read aloud any Spanish word you have never seen and almost always be right.","RvOgesNGD2rjoFQ_s8uxuAlBTtt1RTxV3E4BJJZRyq8",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1183},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M15 18h-5m8-4h-8m-6 8h16a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V4a2 2 0 0 0-2-2H8a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v16a2 2 0 0 1-4 0v-9a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h2\"\u002F>\u003Crect width=\"8\" height=\"4\" x=\"10\" y=\"6\" rx=\"1\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1185},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1187},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1189},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Crect width=\"18\" height=\"18\" x=\"3\" y=\"3\" rx=\"2\" ry=\"2\"\u002F>\u003Ccircle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"2\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m21 15l-3.086-3.086a2 2 0 0 0-2.828 0L6 21\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":1191},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M6 22a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h8a2.4 2.4 0 0 1 1.704.706l3.588 3.588A2.4 2.4 0 0 1 20 8v12a2 2 0 0 1-2 2z\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M14 2v5a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h5M10 9H8m8 4H8m8 4H8\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",1781519466768]