Spanish Accent Rules

Acentuación (Accents)

Rules for Accent Marks in Spanish

• The fundamental question: When is an accent mark needed in Spanish?

• General Rules: These rules determine where the natural stress falls in a word.

  • Words ending in a vowel, 'n', or 's': The natural stress is on the second-to-last syllable.

    • Examples provided:

      • ru-ti-na
      • hom-bro
      • cue-llo
      • en-ton-ces

  • Words ending in a consonant (other than 'n' or 's'): The natural stress is on the last syllable.

    • Examples provided:

      • re-loj
      • se-ca-dor
      • en-tre-nar

  • Exception: If a word breaks either of the rules above, an accent mark is required to indicate the stressed syllable.

    • Examples provided:

      • cham-pú
      • ja-bón
      • fá-cil
      • ha-bi-ta-ción

Spoken Stress Rules (SpanishDict.com)

• Words ending in a vowel, 'n', or 's': The spoken stress falls on the second-to-last syllable.

  • Example:

    • Mé-xi-co

    • Ca-sa

      • Syllable count with stress location in a 3 syllable word: 3 \ 2 \ 1

• Words ending in a consonant (not 'n' or 's'): The spoken stress falls on the last syllable.

  • Examples:

    • ca-mi-nar

    • ar-bol

      • Syllable count with stress location in a 3 syllable word: 3 \ 2