When do you use an accent in Spanish?

There are two ways accents are used in Spanish.

  1. To show unusual emphasis. When a word ends in a vowel, n or s, the emphasis falls on the second-to-last syllable, unless there is an accent on another syllable, which would show you where the emphasis falls, eg pájaro or información. Words ending in a consonant other than n or s have the stress on the last syllable, except when there is an accent, such as in árbol or the surname Márquez.

  2. To differentiate between separate words. A written accent on a word does not always show an unusual emphasis; it could show two separate meanings. such as the question words cuándo and qué and their non-question counterparts cuando and que. There is no pronunciation difference, but the accents are still important because they clear up ambiguities in the written language.

Answered by Lewis W. Spanish tutor

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