Spanish stress is not random, and it is not something you have to memorise word by word. Two short rules predict where the stress falls in most words, and the written accent mark exists precisely to flag the words that break those rules. Once you understand the system, you can pronounce any Spanish word correctly from its spelling.
Why stress matters
Stress changes meaning in Spanish much more often than English speakers expect:
| Word | Meaning | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| potato, Pope | dad | ||
| I speak | he/she spoke | ||
| this (fem.) | is | ||
| term | / | I finish / he finished | |
| public | / | I publish / he published |
The verb pairs are the dangerous ones: stressing the wrong syllable of hablo changes the person and the tense.
The two default rules
- Words ending in a vowel, n or s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable: , , , , .
- Words ending in any other consonant are stressed on the last syllable: , , , , .
The logic is historical: most Spanish words end in a vowel, n or s (the plural and verb endings), and most are stressed on the penultimate syllable. The rules simply describe the most common patterns.
When to write the accent
A word gets a written accent when its stress does not follow the default rules. Spanish grammar names words by the position of their stress:
| Type | Stress on | Accent written when... | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguda | last syllable | it ends in a vowel, n or s | , , · but , |
| Llana (grave) | second-to-last | it ends in any consonant other than n or s | , , · but , |
| Esdrújula | third-to-last | always | , , |
| Sobresdrújula | fourth-to-last or earlier | always | , |
Notice that the aguda and llana rules are mirror images. An aguda ending in n needs an accent (), and a llana ending in n does not (). A llana ending in l needs one (), and an aguda ending in l does not ().
Two exceptions. Words ending in a consonant cluster with s follow the consonant rule, not the s rule: bíceps, récords and cómics are llanas with accents. And a final y counts as a consonant for these rules, which is why virrey and Paraguay have no accent.
Plurals and added pronouns
Stress stays on the same syllable when you add endings, but the word's category can change, so the accent may appear or disappear:
- → : the stress stays on -ció-, but the plural is now a llana ending in s, so no accent.
- → : the stress stays on -xa-, which is now third from the end, so it needs an accent.
- → : adding lo makes it an esdrújula.
- → , → .
Three words shift their stress in the plural: carácter → caracteres, régimen → regímenes and espécimen → especímenes.
Adverbs in -mente
Adverbs formed with -mente keep the accent of the adjective and have two stresses: → , → . If the adjective has no accent, neither does the adverb: → .
Accents that distinguish short words
One-syllable words normally never take an accent. The exception is the tilde diacrítica, which separates pairs of words that sound the same:
| With accent | Without |
|---|---|
| tú (you) | tu (your) |
| él (he) | el (the) |
| mí (me) | mi (my) |
| sí (yes; oneself) | si (if) |
| sé (I know; be) | se (reflexive) |
| té (tea) | te (you, object) |
| dé (give, subjunctive) | de (of) |
| más (more) | mas (but, literary) |
Question and exclamation words also carry an accent: qué, cómo, dónde, cuándo, quién, cuál, cuánto, both in direct questions () and in indirect ones (No sé dónde vive). Since 2010 the RAE recommends writing solo and the demonstratives este, ese, aquel without an accent.
Accents that break diphthongs
When a stressed i or u sits next to a, e or o, it always carries an accent, whatever the general rules say: , , , . The accent shows that the two vowels belong to separate syllables. This is explained in the diphthongs and hiatus guide.
Does it need an accent?
Choose an answer to see the explanation.
1. cancion, stressed on the last syllable
- Yes: canción
- No: cancion
Answer: Yes: canción. It is an aguda ending in n, so it needs an accent.
2. arbol, stressed on the first syllable
- Yes: árbol
- No: arbol
Answer: Yes: árbol. It is a llana ending in l (not n, s or a vowel), so it needs an accent.
3. ciudad, stressed on the last syllable
- Yes: ciudád
- No: ciudad
Answer: No: ciudad. It is an aguda ending in d, which is exactly what the default rule predicts.
4. examenes, plural of examen
- Yes: exámenes
- No: examenes
Answer: Yes: exámenes. The stress stays on -xa-, now third from the end: every esdrújula has an accent.
5. telefono, stressed on -le-
- Yes: teléfono
- No: telefono
Answer: Yes: teléfono. Stress on the third-to-last syllable always requires an accent.
6. joven, stressed on the first syllable
- Yes: jóven
- No: joven
Answer: No: joven. A llana ending in n follows the default rule, so no accent. Jóvenes, the plural, does need one.
Frequently asked questions
Do Spanish accent marks change the sound of the vowel?
No. The acute accent in Spanish only marks stress (and, in a few short words, distinguishes meaning). An á is the same vowel as a; it is just the stressed one.
Do capital letters need accent marks in Spanish?
Yes. The Real Academia Española is explicit that capitals keep their accents: Álvaro, ÉXITO. Omitting them is a typographical habit from old typewriters, not a rule.
Why does "examen" have no accent but "exámenes" does?
Examen is stressed on the second-to-last syllable and ends in n, so it follows the default rule. In the plural the stress stays on the same syllable, which is now third from the end, and every such word is written with an accent.
Sources and further reading
- Real Academia Española and ASALE (2010). Ortografía de la lengua española, chapter 2: La acentuación gráfica. Espasa.
- Hualde, J. I. (2005). The Sounds of Spanish, chapter 13: Stress. Cambridge University Press.
- Real Academia Española. Diccionario panhispánico de dudas, entry "tilde". RAE, 2005.
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