Vowels and stress
Five pure vowels, the stressed syllable, and the accent mark.
Spanish is read as it's written. Once you know what each letter says, you can read any word aloud, even one you've never seen, and stress it right. The few letters that work differently from English are on the next page, Consonants.
Five vowels
Spanish has five vowels, and each has one sound. A vowel sounds the same stressed or unstressed, and it doesn't glide into another sound at its end: no is a pure o, without the w that English "no" ends in.
| Vowel | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a | as in father | casa house, nada nothing |
| e | as in bed | mesa table, verde green |
| i | as in ski | sí yes, vino wine |
| o | as in more | no no, todo all |
| u | as in rule | tú you, uno one |
Every vowel is said, a final e too: noche "night" is NO-che, grande "big" GRAN-de.
Two vowels together
i and u next to a, e or o join it in one syllable, said like y and w: bien "well" (BIEN), bueno "good" (BUE-no), aire "air" (AI-re), ciudad "city" (ciu-DAD). a, e and o next to each other stay in two syllables: idea (i-DE-a), leer "to read" (le-ER).
Which syllable is stressed
Every word of two or more syllables has one stressed syllable, and two rules find it:
- A word ending in a vowel, n or s is stressed on the next-to-last syllable: casa CA-sa, hablan HA-blan, martes MAR-tes.
- A word ending in any other consonant is stressed on the last: hablar ha-BLAR, ciudad ciu-DAD, español es-pa-ÑOL.
The accent mark
A written accent (´), called tilde, marks a stressed syllable that the rules don't predict. It changes the stress, not the vowel's sound.
| Word | Said | Why it has the mark |
|---|---|---|
| café | ca-FÉ | ends in a vowel, stressed on the last syllable |
| canción | can-CIÓN | ends in n, stressed on the last syllable |
| árbol | ÁR-bol | ends in l, stressed on the next-to-last |
| música | MÚ-si-ca | stressed three from the end, which always takes the mark |
| día | DÍ-a | i stressed next to a vowel: two syllables, not one |
Since the mark only shows what the rules don't, it can come and go as a word changes: canción "song", canciones "songs" (can-CIO-nes: it now ends in s, so the rule gives the stress); joven "young", jóvenes (JÓ-ve-nes).
Accents that tell words apart
A few short words take an accent only to tell them from another word spelled the same:
| With the mark | Without |
|---|---|
| tú you | tu your |
| él he | el the |
| mí me | mi my |
| sí yes | si if |
| sé I know | se himself, herself, oneself |
| té tea | te you (as an object) |
| más more | mas but (in old writing) |
Question words take it too: qué, cómo, dónde, cuándo; see Questions.
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Getting started cards.
How many vowel sounds does Spanish have?
Five: a, e, i, o and u, each with one sound.
Is the final e of noche (night) said?
Yes: NO-che, with the e of bed.
Which syllable is stressed in a word ending in a vowel, n or s, like hablan (they speak)?
The next-to-last: HA-blan.
Which syllable is stressed in a word ending in a consonant other than n or s, like hablar (to speak)?
The last: ha-BLAR.
What does the accent mark in café tell you?
That the stress falls on that syllable: ca-FÉ.
Why does música (music) have an accent mark?
It's stressed three syllables from the end: MÚ-si-ca.
Why does canción (song) have an accent mark, but canciones (songs) not?
The plural ends in s, so the rule already stresses can-CIO-nes.
How many syllables does día (day) have?
Two: DÍ-a.
What's the difference between tú and tu?
tú is 'you'; tu is 'your'.
Sí or si: which means 'yes'?
Sí, with the accent.