What are the Spanish accent marks?

Three marks: acute accent (´) on vowels for stress / disambiguation, tilde (~) on ñ (its own letter), and diaeresis (¨) on ü (only in -güe / -güi to indicate the u is pronounced).

When do I need to write an accent in Spanish?

When the word's stress doesn't match the default rules (vowel / n / s ending → second-to-last; other consonants → last). Esdrújulas (third-to-last stress) always get an accent. Plus diacritic accents distinguish meaning (tú / tu, sí / si).

What's the difference between tú and tu, sí and si?

Tú = you (subject pronoun). Tu = your (possessive). Sí = yes / certainly. Si = if. The accent distinguishes meaning between identical spellings. Always required.

When do I use ü (u with two dots)?

Only in the combinations -güe and -güi to tell you the u is pronounced. Without it, the u is silent (guerra, guitarra). With it, the u is heard (pingüino, vergüenza, lingüística).

How can I master Spanish accent marks?

Learn the two default stress rules, then mark exceptions. Memorize diacritic pairs (tú/tu, sí/si, sé/se, etc.) and question words. Reading and writing Spanish with proper accents, Parrot videos show native captions with correct marks.

Spanish grammar · Beginner

Spanish Accent Marks: When and How to Use Them

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Spanish has three written marks: the acute accent (´) on stressed vowels, the tilde (~) on ñ, and the diaeresis (¨) on ü. The acute accent indicates stress (where the natural rule doesn't apply) or distinguishes meaning (sí vs. si, tú vs. tu).

papá vs. papa

dad vs. potato

What it is

Spanish has three written marks: the acute accent (´) on vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú), the tilde (~) on ñ, and the diaeresis (¨) on ü. The acute accent marks where a word is stressed when it breaks the natural pattern, or distinguishes meaning between words spelled the same (sí / si, tú / tu, sé / se, más / mas, qué / que). Question words always carry an accent.

papá (dad) vs. papa (potato / pope), the accent changes both meaning and stress.

How to spot it

Look for ´ over a vowel. The accent always falls on the stressed vowel and signals: stress is here, not where you'd expect.

café — coffee
miércoles — Wednesday
lápiz — pencil

Accents in Spanish are not decoration, they're functional. Always include them in writing. The diaeresis on ü (only in -güe / -güi) tells you to pronounce the u.

Spanish Accent Marks Quick Reference

Spanish marks at a glance

Mark	Where	Purpose	Example
Acute (´)	Vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú)	Marks stress / distinguishes meaning	café, sí, tú
Tilde (~)	n → ñ	Different letter (palatal n)	niño, año
Diaeresis (¨)	u → ü in -güe / -güi	Tells you to pronounce the u	pingüino, lingüista

Common Spanish Accent Marks Examples in Spanish

Accent marks in action:

Stress on Last Syllable (Agudas)

café: coffee
canción: song
papá: dad

Words ending in vowel, -n, or -s get an accent when stressed on the LAST syllable (since the natural rule stresses the second-to-last).

Stress on Second-to-Last (Llanas)

árbol: tree
lápiz: pencil
fácil: easy

Words ending in any consonant EXCEPT -n / -s get an accent when stressed on the second-to-last syllable.

Stress on Third-to-Last (Esdrújulas)

miércoles: Wednesday
música: music
rápido: fast

All words stressed on the third-to-last syllable carry an accent. No exceptions.

Distinguishing Meaning (Tildes Diacríticas)

sí (yes) / si (if): sí (yes) / si (if)
tú (you) / tu (your): tú (you) / tu (your)
más (more) / mas (but, archaic): más (more) / mas (but)

These accents distinguish meaning between identical spellings. Critical for clarity: tú comes / your meal vs. tu comes.

Spanish Stress Rules

Natural Stress Rules (When You DON'T Need an Accent)

Words ending in a vowel, -n, or -s: stress falls on the second-to-last syllable. Words ending in any other consonant: stress falls on the last syllable.

casa (CA-sa), hablan (HA-blan), comer (co-MER)

Default stress without needing an accent mark.

If a word follows these natural patterns, NO accent. The accent appears only when the word breaks the rule.

Add an Accent When the Word Breaks the Rule

Whenever the actual stress doesn't match what the natural rule predicts, add an accent on the stressed vowel.

café (ends in vowel but stressed on last) → accent. Árbol (ends in consonant but stressed on first) → accent.

Accent fixes mismatches.

Esdrújulas (stress on third-to-last) ALWAYS get an accent. No exceptions: música, rápido, miércoles.

Diacritic Accents Distinguish Meaning

Some monosyllabic words carry accents only to distinguish meaning from look-alikes.

sí (yes) / si (if). tú (you) / tu (your). él (he) / el (the). sé (I know) / se (reflexive).

Same spelling, different meanings, accent disambiguates.

Common pairs to memorize: sí/si, tú/tu, él/el, mí/mi, sé/se, té/te, más/mas, dé/de. Also: question words (qué, quién, dónde, etc.) vs. relative forms (que, quien, donde).

Ñ and Ü Are Different

Ñ (n + tilde) is its own letter, palatal nasal sound. Ü (u + diaeresis) appears only in -güe / -güi to tell you to pronounce the u.

niño (NEE-nyo). pingüino (peen-GWEE-no, not peen-GEE-no).

Distinct letters / pronunciation guides.

Without the diaeresis, the u in -gue / -gui is silent (guerra = GE-rra, guitarra = gee-TA-rra). With ü, pronounce it: pingüino, vergüenza.

Common Mistakes with Spanish Accent Marks

Incorrect: Tu eres mi amigo. — You are my friend.

Correct: Tú eres mi amigo. — You are my friend.

Tú (you) has an accent. Tu (your) doesn't. Without the accent it reads as your are my friend.

Incorrect: Yo se la respuesta. — I know the answer.

Correct: Yo sé la respuesta. — I know the answer.

Sé (I know) carries an accent. Se (reflexive / passive marker) doesn't. The verb saber's yo form is sé.

Incorrect: Como estas? — How are you?

Correct: ¿Cómo estás? — How are you?

Question words like cómo always carry an accent. Estás (you are) also carries an accent on the final syllable. Plus inverted ¿ at the start.

Stress Rules (When Do You Need an Accent?)

The Two Default Rules

Rule 1: Words ending in vowel, -n, or -s → stressed on second-to-last syllable (no accent needed). Rule 2: Words ending in any other consonant → stressed on last syllable (no accent needed).

casa (CA-sa): house, vowel ending → second-to-last.
comer (co-MER): to eat, consonant ending → last.
hablan (HA-blan): they speak, -n ending → second-to-last.

If the word follows these defaults, NO accent. The accent appears only when stress falls elsewhere.

When to Add an Accent

Add an accent whenever the actual stress doesn't match the default rules. Esdrújulas (third-to-last stress) always get one.

café, vowel ending but stressed on last → accent.
árbol, consonant ending but stressed on first → accent.
música, rápido, third-to-last stress → always accent.

The accent always falls on the stressed vowel and shows readers where the stress is.

Spanish Accent Marks FAQs

What are the Spanish accent marks?: Three marks: acute accent (´) on vowels for stress / disambiguation, tilde (~) on ñ (its own letter), and diaeresis (¨) on ü (only in -güe / -güi to indicate the u is pronounced).
When do I need to write an accent in Spanish?: When the word's stress doesn't match the default rules (vowel / n / s ending → second-to-last; other consonants → last). Esdrújulas (third-to-last stress) always get an accent. Plus diacritic accents distinguish meaning (tú / tu, sí / si).
What's the difference between tú and tu, sí and si?: Tú = you (subject pronoun). Tu = your (possessive). Sí = yes / certainly. Si = if. The accent distinguishes meaning between identical spellings. Always required.
When do I use ü (u with two dots)?: Only in the combinations -güe and -güi to tell you the u is pronounced. Without it, the u is silent (guerra, guitarra). With it, the u is heard (pingüino, vergüenza, lingüística).
How can I master Spanish accent marks?: Learn the two default stress rules, then mark exceptions. Memorize diacritic pairs (tú/tu, sí/si, sé/se, etc.) and question words. Reading and writing Spanish with proper accents, Parrot videos show native captions with correct marks.