Don't stress it!
In Spanish, the rules for stress (also known as accent or emphasis) are pretty simple. There are only
three rules to remember:
Rule 1: Words that end in: a vowel, n, or s, have stress on the next-to-last (penultimate) syllable.
Examples: mesa, cargo, joven, casas
Rule 2: Words that end in all other letters have the stress on the last syllable.
Examples: hablar, usted, hotel, papel
Rule 3: If a word isn't pronounced according to the first two rules, a written accent mark must be
placed over the vowel of the stressed syllable.
Examples: lápiz, inglés, crédito, espectáculo
A word or two about accents
Written accents are sometimes used to distinguish between words that sound the same, but have
different meanings. In these cases, the written accent does not affect pronunciation.
Examples:
el
the
él
he
este this
éste this one
Note also that question words all have accents for the same reason:
Examples:
que
that
qué
what
como as, like (also “I eat” from the verb comer)
cómo how
- Tip: Some publications and signs do not use written accents on capital letters. It is best to use them
whenever you can, however.
What about accents on my computer?
Since keyboards don't have accent marks, you can use “ALT codes” to get the letters (and symbols) you
need to make your Spanish correct on your computer. To use an ALT code, simply hold down the ALT
key on your keyboard and type the numbers on your keypad. When you have finished the number
sequence, the correct letter or symbol will appear. Here is a list of the Spanish ALT codes and what you
will get when you use them. You may want to copy this list and keep it near your computer.
á
é
í
ó
ú
ü (rare)
alt + 0225
alt + 0233
alt + 0237
alt + 0243
alt + 0250
alt + 0252
Á
É
Í
Ó
Ú
Ü (rare)
alt + 0193
alt + 0201
alt + 0205
alt + 0211
alt + 0218
alt + 0220
¡
¿
ñ
Ñ
alt + 0161
alt + 0191
alt + 0241
alt + 0209
For Mac computers:
á = while holding down “option” push “e” then release both keys and
push “a”
é = while holding down “option” push “e” then release both keys and
push “e”
í = while holding down “option” push “e” then release both keys and
push “i”
ó = while holding down “option” push “e” then release both keys and
push “o”
ú = while holding down “option” push “e” then release both keys and
push “u”
ñ = while holding down “option” push “n” then release both keys and
push “n”
ü = while holding down “option” push “u” then release both keys and
push “u”
NOTE: for capital letters, hold down shift when you hit the letter you
want accented.