How the tildes are used

To give the appropriate intonation to the words, these are provided with an accent. It is the element that highlights the strongest syllable, the one that sounds with greater intensity in the pronunciation of each of the voices of the Spanish language . Sometimes, following a series of rules, this accent must be marked with a sign that is known as accent or graphic accent. Do you know how the tildes are used ? You must know how to accentuate words in Spanish correctly and we want to clarify all your doubts.

Steps to follow:

one

To know where the possible tilde should fall in a word, we must follow the basic rules of the Spanish language. These apply to all words composed of more than one syllable . By following these rules, the words are divided into different groups, which are accentuated in certain cases.

two

The first group is that of sharp words . These are the words that have the accent, the greatest intensity, in their last syllable . They will take tilde all those that end in vowel, -n, -s. Except the ones ending in -yo when the -s is preceded by another consonant.

3

The words that have, in penultimate place, their tonic syllable are called flat . These are tilde just in cases contrary to the previous ones: when they end in a consonant other than -n, -s, unless the -s is preceded by another consonant.

4

Those with the accent on the penultimate syllable are the esdrújulas . These always carry a tilde.

5

Finally, the words that have the strong syllable before the second to last place, are the so-called " sobresdrújulas" and always have a tilde, too.

6

Diphthongs follow the general rules of accentuation described above.

Tips
  • Check some spelling manual.
  • In the RAE you will be able to obtain detailed information about how the words are accentuated.