Chapter 4 of 16 · Explore the Spanish path
The script · Chapter 4 of 16
Which part of a word to say loudest
Spanish tells you which beat of a word to say loudest, with two rules and one small mark over a vowel. Learn them here and you will never have to guess.
≈ 2 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- A word ending in a vowel, in n, or in s is stressed on the second-to-last beat.
- Anything else is stressed on the last beat. Those two rules cover the ordinary case.
- A written accent means the word breaks the rule: the loud beat is where the mark is.
- An accent on an i or a u also pulls a vowel pair apart: día
DEE-ah “day” is two beats. - A question opens with an upside-down mark, so you see it coming.
English decides which beat is loud word by word and does not tell you. Spanish tells you every time, with two rules and one mark. Rule one: a word ending in a vowel, in n, or in s is stressed on the second-to-last beat. Rule two: anything else is stressed on the last beat.
Where the loud beat lands
Read the third column first: the end of the word decides which beat is loudest.
| Spanish | Say it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| casa | KAH-sah | ends in a vowel, so the beat before last |
| ratones | rrah-TOH-nehs | ends in s, so the beat before last |
| feliz | feh-LEES | ends in z, so the last beat |
| azul | ah-SOOL | ends in l, so the last beat |
What a mark over a vowel changes
A written accent is a small mark over a vowel. Wherever the mark sits, that is the loud beat.
| Without it, the rule would give | With it | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| “pah-HAH-roh” | pájaro | the loud beat moves two back |
| “RRAH-tohn” | ratón | ends in n, so the rule says beat-before-last; the accent overrides it |
| “DYAH”, one beat | día | an accent on the i splits a vowel pair apart |
Add a beat and the accent can disappear: ratón
Put the loud beat in the right place
Decide where the stress falls before you reveal.
- azul
Ends in l.
Show answer +Hide answer −
azulah-SOOL “blue” - ratones
Ends in s, and the accent has gone.
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ratonesrrah-TOH-nehs “mice” - día
The accent pulls the vowel pair apart.
Show answer +Hide answer −
díaDEE-ah “day”