Spanish Accent Marks Practice
Write the word with or without an accent mark, or choose the right form, then listen to it. Below, a worksheet with an answer key you can do on paper or print.
What you need to know
- An aguda word (stress on the last syllable) takes an accent mark when it ends in a vowel, n or s (café, canción). A llana word (stress on the next-to-last syllable) takes one when it ends in any other letter (árbol, lápiz). An esdrújula word (stress two syllables before the last) always takes one (teléfono).
- The diacritical accent mark tells apart words that are spelled the same, like tú (you) and tu (your), él (he) and el (the), sí (yes) and si (if), qué (what) and que (that).
- Since 2010, solo and este are written without an accent mark. In the plural, the accent mark can disappear (canciones) or show up (exámenes).
Spanish Without Borders · Spanish Accent Marks Practice · spanishwithoutborders.com/exercises/accents/
Accent marks in Spanish: worksheet with answer key
Do them on paper, in your head or printed out: answer first, then open each answer to check.
Name: ______________________________ Date: ____/____/______
Add the accent mark when needed
Some words don't take one. Say them out loud to find the stressed syllable.
- camion
show answer
camión · aguda ending in n
- azucar
show answer
azúcar · llana ending in r
- pajaro
show answer
pájaro · esdrújula
- ciudad
show answer
ciudad · aguda ending in d: no accent mark
- Maria
show answer
María · hiatus
- farmacia
show answer
farmacia · llana ending in a vowel: no accent mark
Aguda, llana or esdrújula?
Aguda: stress on the last syllable. Llana: on the next-to-last. Esdrújula: two before the last.
- reloj
show answer
aguda
- cárcel
show answer
llana
- brújula
show answer
esdrújula
- canción
show answer
aguda
- casa
show answer
llana
Choose the right form
- (Tú / Tu) hermano es muy alto.
show answer
Tu · possessive, no accent mark
- Para (mí / mi), es fácil.
show answer
mí · pronoun after a preposition
- ¿(Qué / Que) quieres comer?
show answer
Qué · question
- (Solo / Sólo) tengo cinco euros.
show answer
Solo · no accent mark since 2010
Write the plural
- la canción
show answer
las canciones · loses the accent mark
- el examen
show answer
los exámenes · gains the accent mark
- la luz
show answer
las luces · z changes to c
- el lunes
show answer
los lunes · stays the same
Answer key
- camión
- azúcar
- pájaro
- ciudad
- María
- farmacia
- aguda
- llana
- esdrújula
- aguda
- llana
- Tu
- mí
- Qué
- Solo
- las canciones
- los exámenes
- las luces
- los lunes
Accent marks in Spanish: common questions
When does a word take an accent mark in Spanish?
It depends on where the stressed syllable is. An aguda word (stress on the last syllable) takes an accent mark if it ends in a vowel, n or s (café). A llana word (stress on the next-to-last syllable) takes one if it ends in any other letter (árbol). An esdrújula word always takes one (música). On top of that, a stressed i or u next to a, e or o gets an accent mark (día, país).
Does solo still take an accent mark?
No. Since the Real Academia's 2010 Ortografía, solo and the demonstratives (este, ese, aquel) are written without an accent mark. The RAE only allows it when a sentence is ambiguous, and even then it recommends leaving it off.
Do capital letters need accent marks in Spanish?
Yes. Capitals follow the same rules as lowercase letters: Ángela, Álvaro, ÚLTIMO AVISO. Leaving them off was a habit from typewriters and old printing, never a rule of the Real Academia Española.
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