AP Spanish
All words are accented (have a stress) ! All words are accented (have a stress) ! But not all words are visually accented (´) !! But not all words are visually accented (´) !!
Question: So, if all words are accented (stressed), then how does one determine whether a particular word takes a tilde (´) or not? Tip: The diacritical mark (´) in Spanish is often somewhat erroneously referred to as el acento. It is more accurately called el tilde or la virgulilla.
Answer: First classify the word. Tip: In the majority of cases determining whether a particular word requires a tilde, or not, is a two step process.
Question: Once the classification of a word has been established (Step 1), what is the second, and final, step in determining whether a visual accent (a tilde) is, or is not, required? Tip: Tildes appear only over vowels.