This cheat sheet covers how Spanish words are stressed and when written accent marks are required. Students need these rules to pronounce words correctly, spell accurately, and understand meaning. Accent marks can change both pronunciation and word meaning, so they are important in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish.
The core rules depend on the last letter of the word and the stressed syllable. Words ending in a vowel, n, or s are usually stressed on the next-to-last syllable, while words ending in other consonants are usually stressed on the last syllable. Written accent marks show exceptions, mark esdrújula words, separate vowel sounds, and identify many question and exclamation words.
Key Facts
- If a Spanish word ends in a vowel, n, or s, the natural stress is on the next-to-last syllable, as in casa, hablan, and clases.
- If a Spanish word ends in a consonant other than n or s, the natural stress is on the last syllable, as in papel, reloj, and ciudad.
- A written accent mark is used when the word's stress does not follow the natural stress rule, as in lápiz, canción, and fácil.
- Aguda words are stressed on the last syllable and take an accent mark when they end in a vowel, n, or s, as in café, canción, and inglés.
- Llana words are stressed on the next-to-last syllable and take an accent mark when they end in a consonant other than n or s, as in árbol and azúcar.
- Esdrújula words are stressed on the third-to-last syllable and always take an accent mark, as in teléfono, música, and miércoles.
- A diphthong combines a strong vowel with a weak vowel or two weak vowels in one syllable, as in ciudad, bueno, and aire.
- Question and exclamation words usually need accent marks, as in qué, quién, cuándo, dónde, cómo, cuál, and cuánto.
Vocabulary
- Stress
- Stress is the syllable in a word that is pronounced with the most emphasis.
- Accent mark
- An accent mark is a written mark over a vowel that shows stress, separates vowel sounds, or distinguishes meanings.
- Aguda
- An aguda is a Spanish word stressed on the last syllable.
- Llana
- A llana is a Spanish word stressed on the next-to-last syllable.
- Esdrújula
- An esdrújula is a Spanish word stressed on the third-to-last syllable and always written with an accent mark.
- Diphthong
- A diphthong is two vowels pronounced together in the same syllable.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Putting an accent mark on every stressed word is wrong because Spanish only writes accent marks when a rule requires them.
- Forgetting accents on question words is wrong because qué, cómo, cuándo, and similar words need accents in direct and indirect questions.
- Using English stress patterns is wrong because Spanish has predictable stress rules based on the final letter and syllable position.
- Ignoring the difference between n or s and other consonants is wrong because this final letter determines the natural stress rule.
- Leaving off accents on esdrújula words is wrong because all esdrújula words must have a written accent mark.
Practice Questions
- 1 Decide whether the word papel needs an accent mark, and identify the stressed syllable.
- 2 Add the correct accent mark if needed: cancion, arbol, telefono, cafe.
- 3 Classify these 4 words as aguda, llana, or esdrújula: español, lápiz, música, casa.
- 4 Explain why sí and si are not interchangeable in Spanish, even though they look almost the same.