Spanish Syllable Stress

Palabras Agudas

Last Syllable Stress

Does NOT end in a vowel (a e i o u), n, or s.

If the word does NOT follow this rule, use a tilde (accent mark)

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Examples:

Ja-pón

Pe-rú

Pa-na-má

Es-pa-ñol

Palabras Graves

2nd to Last Syllable Stress

DOES end in a vowel (a e i o u), n, or s.

If the word does NOT follow this rule, use a tilde (accent mark)

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Examples:

Cá-diz

Ca-rá-quez

Es-pa-ña

Ca-ra-cas

Co-lombia

Palabras Esdrújulas

3rd to Last Syllable Stress

Always has an accent mark

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Examples:

Mé-xi-co

Mó-na-co

Palabras Sobreesdrújulas

4th to Last Syllable Stress

Compound Words - if one of the OG words has a tilde, then it is kept in the new word.

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Examples:

Rá-pi-da-mente

cóm-pra-me-lo

estí-re-se-la

difí-cil-mente

Diphthongs (Diptongos)

Combining 2 vowels into one syllable

Weak Vowels

i & u

Strong Vowels

a, e & o

Rising Diphthongs

Weak Vowel followed by a Strong Vowel

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Tierra (Land)

Huevo (Egg)

Falling Diphthongs

Strong Vowel followed by a Weak Vowel

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Causa (Cause)

Hiatuses (Hiatos)

A tilde breaks the diphthong into 2 syllables

Can be noticed easily if a weak vowel has a tilde next to strong vowel & vice versa.

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País (country)

Río (river)

Maíz (corn)

Aúlla (he/she howls)

Question Words

If you are using these words as a question, use a tilde. If not, DON’T use a tilde.

Similar Sounding/Looking Words

Tildes can separate the meanings.