Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation Guide: Accents

ACCENTUATION

Accentuation refers to the stress put on different parts of words. For example, the English word "ba-by" has the accent (or verbal stress) on the first syllable "ba". If you say the word with the accentuation on the wrong syllable "ba-by" you realize the significance of accentuation. In English, accentuation is somewhat unregulated, and it can be difficult for foreign speakers to know which syllable receives the verbal stress by just looking at a word. However, in Spanish there are strict, consistent rules whereby one can easily learn to have perfect accentuation.

INTONATION

Each language has its own intonation pattern: the way the voice goes up and down within spoken phrases. If the appropriate intonation patterns of the language are not followed, misunderstandings can arise. Throughout this course, hundreds of phrases will be spoken by native Spanish speakers, which you can model your intonation after.

Spanish Accentuation

In Spanish, there are two parts to learning accent marks. The first part is learning to read them and where to stress the words with accents, and the second is knowing when to put accents marks on a word. After learning the information in this lesson, you'll be able to correctly pronounce words with accents as well as know which words need accents and when to put them on.

First is learning how to read accent marks. Basically, any time you see an accent on part of a Spanish word, you should emphasize that part of the word where the accent if found.

As words are pronounced in Spanish there is an accent or "stress" on certain syllables. This section covers the specific rules that show how words should be pronounced in Spanish. The great thing is that there are no exceptions to these rules, unlike in English.

SPANISH SYLLABLES

Before jumping into accentuation, we must first focus on syllables, which are an integral part of accentuation.

How many syllables do the following words have?

1. encyclopedia
2. monkey
3. alligator
4. hat

To understand the how Spanish syllables are formed, it is important to know that there are two kinds of vowels: STRONG and WEAK vowels.

STRONG VOWELS: "a" "e" AND "o"

When two strong vowels are next to each other, they each form a syllable.

a-e e-a o-a
a-o e-o o-e

Sample Words

WEAK VOWELS: "u" AND "i"

When a weak vowel is next to any other vowel, they form just one syllable.

ai ia oi au
ie ue
ei io ui
eu iu uo

Sample Words

PRONOUNCING WITH THE ACCENT ON THE CORRECT SYLLABLE

There are three basic rules for accentuation relating to pronunciation (deciding which syllable receives the verbal stress).

If the word has an accent then follow Rule #1:

RULE #1

If the word has an accent, stress the part of the word where the accent is found.

If the word doesn't have an accent follow Rule #2 and Rule #3:

RULE #2

If a words ends in an "n", "s", or a "vowel", the verbal stress falls on the second to last syllable.

RULE #3

When a word ends with any consonant other than "n" or "s", the verbal stress falls on the last syllable.

DIPHTHONGS (VOWEL MIXES)

A diphthong (vowel mix) is a combination of a weak and a strong vowel or two weak vowels. Listen to and practice the pronunciation of the following diphthongs.

Sample Words

Important Considerations

ASSIMILATION

Assimilation is when a letter sounds like the letter that follows it. For example, in the English word "uncle," the "n" is not produced by the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth, but by the back of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth - the same way that the "c" following it is produced.

"n" ASSIMILATION

Just like in English, the Spanish "n" can also be pronounced in several different ways. Listen to the following words and concentrate on the different ways the "n" is pronounced.

Sample Words

Sample Sentences

"s" ASSIMILATION

The "s" can either sound like an "s" or like a "z", depending on the consonant that directly follows it. If a consonant after an "s" is voiced, the "s" makes a "z" sound.

Sample Words - "s" that sounds like "z"

Sample Sentences

WORD LINKING

When an English speaker hears a native Spanish speaker, it generally sounds as if he/she is speaking very quickly or as if all the words are being run together into one large word; this is because of "word linking". Word linking can be defined as two or more words that are connected or "run together." It occurs when one word ends in a "vowel" or "consonant" and the following word begins with a "vowel".

EXAMPLES

EXAMPLES

Word linking also occurs when one word ends with a "vowel" or "consonant" and the next word begins with an "h".

EXAMPLES

Sample Sentences