Language/Spanish/Pronunciation/Accents

Let's learn how to use Spanish accents.

Written accents in Spanish, á, é, í, ó, ú are very useful to know where to put the tonic accent of the word. Each word in Spanish includes a syllable which is more accentuated than the other: it is sometimes marked by a written accent.

Rules

The rules for where to put the accent and why to put it there, can be difficult for non Spanish native speakers.

• If the word ends in an s or n or one of five vowels a, e, i, o, u, stress is marked on the penultimate syllable.

It does not need a written accent to mark the intonation. The majority of Spanish words fall into this category. Examples: me-sa, za-pa-tos, pa-dre

• All other words that do not end in an s, n or a vowel and does not include written accent then carry the accent on the last syllable.

It does not need a written accent. Examples: Co-sea, pa-pel, gold-de-na-dor

• If the accent is marked on another syllable (for words not following the two previous rules), we then use a written accent to indicate the stressed syllable.

Examples: di-fí-cil, ár-bol (both words end with an l and should be part of the second category. As this is not the case, we must then place a written accent on the stressed syllable.

It is the same when the accent falls on the penultimate syllable or the last such as with compound words. Examples: dí-me-lo (imperative and two pronouns), the chán-do-sec- (gerund and reflexive pronoun), los fan-tas-tic co.

There are exceptions to these rules for foreign words used in the Spanish language. There are other specific cases in the use of written accents in Spanish.

The letter ñ is a letter of the Spanish alphabet but is sometimes seen as an accent. It changes the sound of the n as in español.

How to write the Spanish accents on your keyboard?

Spanish accents are an important aspect of spelling words: So be sure to write them. Here is the list of shortcuts to use a keyboard that is not Spanish. To do this, hold down the Alt key and type the number listed:

Á	Alt + 0193	á	Alt + 0225
É	Alt + 0201	é	Alt + 0233
Í	Alt + 0205	í	Alt + 0237
Ó	Alt + 0211	ó	Alt + 0243
Ú	Alt + 0218	ú	Alt + 0250
Ñ	Alt + 0209	ñ	Alt + 0241