I can find the stressed syllable of an unfamiliar Spanish word by the rule and the accent mark, read the word aloud, and remember the upside-down ¿ and ¡ at the start of a question or exclamation.
Where the stress falls and what the accent mark is for
Stress by the last letter
Spanish stress is predictable: the last letter of the word tells you where it goes.
A word ending in a vowel, -n, or -s is stressed on the SECOND-TO-LAST syllable: la ven-TA-na, el e-XA-men. A word ending in any other consonant is stressed on the LAST syllable: la ciu-DAD, el hos-pi-TAL, el re-LOJ.
The accent mark (´) is not decoration. It marks the stressed syllable where the stress does NOT follow the rule: el ca-FÉ (ends in a vowel, stress on the last), el ÁR-bol (ends in a consonant, stress on the second-to-last). A word stressed on the third-to-last syllable always has one: la MÚ-si-ca, el te-LÉ-fo-no.
Words that look English follow the same rule: el hospital — “ohs-pee-TAHL”, not “HOS-pee-tahl”. Borrowed words get an accent mark where the stress breaks the rule: el fútbol, el escáner, el líder.
The stressed syllable is louder; the others are not swallowed, and their vowels stay full.
Spanish puts ¿ and ¡ at the START of a sentence and the usual ? and ! at the end: ¿La ciudad? ¡La música! From the first word you know it's a question (the voice rises at the end) or an exclamation (it falls sharply).
Common mistakes:
• NOT “KAH-feh” — el café: the accent mark puts the stress on the last syllable.
• NOT “moo-SEE-kah” — la música: the accent mark and the stress are on the first syllable.
• NOT “Adiós!” without the first mark — correct: ¡Adiós!
Where the stress falls
The accent mark overrides the rule and marks the stressed syllable itself.
| How the word ends | Stressed syllable | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a vowel, -n, or -s | second-to-last | la ven-TA-na |
| any other consonant | last | el hos-pi-TAL |
| has an accent mark | the one with the accent mark | el ca-FÉ · la MÚ-si-ca |
Lesson notes
Stress by the last letter
Spanish stress is predictable: the last letter of the word tells you where it goes.
A word ending in a vowel, -n, or -s is stressed on the SECOND-TO-LAST syllable: la ven-TA-na, el e-XA-men. A word ending in any other consonant is stressed on the LAST syllable: la ciu-DAD, el hos-pi-TAL, el re-LOJ.
The accent mark (´) is not decoration. It marks the stressed syllable where the stress does NOT follow the rule: el ca-FÉ (ends in a vowel, stress on the last), el ÁR-bol (ends in a consonant, stress on the second-to-last). A word stressed on the third-to-last syllable always has one: la MÚ-si-ca, el te-LÉ-fo-no.
Words that look English follow the same rule: el hospital — “ohs-pee-TAHL”, not “HOS-pee-tahl”. Borrowed words get an accent mark where the stress breaks the rule: el fútbol, el escáner, el líder.
The stressed syllable is louder; the others are not swallowed, and their vowels stay full.
Spanish puts ¿ and ¡ at the START of a sentence and the usual ? and ! at the end: ¿La ciudad? ¡La música! From the first word you know it's a question (the voice rises at the end) or an exclamation (it falls sharply).
Common mistakes:
• NOT “KAH-feh” — el café: the accent mark puts the stress on the last syllable.
• NOT “moo-SEE-kah” — la música: the accent mark and the stress are on the first syllable.
• NOT “Adiós!” without the first mark — correct: ¡Adiós!