Rules, drills, and quizzes for tildes, accentuation & special characters
The acute accent (´) is used in Spanish for three main purposes. Click any accented character below to learn when and why it appears.
Stress falls on the second-to-last syllable. No accent mark needed.
Stress falls on the last syllable. No accent mark needed.
Add accent on the stressed vowel to override the default.
Add accent on the stressed vowel to override the default.
Always requires an accent mark — these words break both default rules.
Even when used in indirect questions inside a sentence.
These are among the most important accent rules. Without the accent, you're saying a completely different word.
The Real Academia Española ruled in 2010 that demonstrative pronouns (éste, ésta, ése, etc.) no longer require accents. Knowing the old rule helps you read older texts.
Both forms accepted today. Context usually clarifies meaning.
Formerly: sólo (adverb = only) vs solo (adjective = alone). The accent is now optional in both cases — but many writers still use it to avoid ambiguity.
The ñ is not an accented N — it is its own letter in the Spanish alphabet, positioned after N. It represents the palatal nasal sound /ɲ/, similar to "ny" in "canyon."
They are different letters with different sounds. año (year) ≠ ano (anus).
The ü (u with diaeresis) appears in only one situation: after g in the combinations güe and güi, to signal that the U is pronounced.
In gue and gui, the U is silent (it just makes the G hard). Add ü when you actually want to pronounce the U.
Type the word correctly with its accent mark. Use the buttons below if you can't type accented characters.