This article is about spelling in the Spanish language or writing Spanish with the correct letters and spelling. All the words have an accent, that is, you use more force in the pronunciation of one of the syllables, but some have a tilde, which is an accent written on one of the syllables. We will learn when it is necessary to put Tilde (written accents) in words.

We are going to classify the words according to where they have the greatest strength in pronunciation.

The words called AGUDAS, are the words that you pronounce with force in the last syllable. For example:

truck

walk (ride)

Worth

prayer (prayer)

French (French)

I went out (I went out)

Those words have an accent when they end in N, S or a vowel.

The words called GRAVES, are the words that you pronounce with force in the penultimate syllable.

For example:

Pencil pencil)

map (map)

Coin (Corner)

Hard (Hard)

Those words have Tilde when they don’t end in N,S or Vowel.

The words called ESDRÚJULAS are the words that you pronounce with force in the penultimate syllable.

For example:

Esdrújula

Compass (Compass)

Tell him (Tell him)

Credit (Credit)

Those words always have a tilde.

The words called SOBRESDRÚJULAS are the words that are pronounced with force in the penultimate syllable. For example:

tell me

easily (easily)

difficulty (difficulty)

Forget it (Forget it)

Those words always have a tilde.

Monosyllables do not have a tilde, but many of them have a tilde to differentiate themselves from other words with a different meaning.

Yes Yes Yes Yes)

Te (Tea) Te (Reflexive Pronoun or IO)

More (More) More (Goal)

You (You) You (You)

He (He) He (Masculine Article)

I know (I know) I know (pronoun)

Me (I after the prepositions: Everything is for me/They laugh at me) My (My)

The words that are used for questions, doubts or to show admiration always have an accent.

What’s your Number? (What is your name?)

Who are you your father? (Who is your father?)

I don’t know which room I sleep in. (I don’t know which room I should sleep in.)

How long will it take to bring the bill! (How long does it take to bring the account!)

But we use these words without accents when they are relative.

The house where I grew up was wonderful. (The house where I grew up was wonderful.)

They lost what they had won. (They lost what they had won.)

Whoever told you that is rude. (Whoever told you that is rude.)

Determiners and demonstrative pronouns:

The pronouns this one, this one, that one, that one, that one and that one, and their plural forms take accents to differentiate the equivalent determiners.

This is my home. (This is my home.)

That is my cousin Raúl. (That man over there is my cousin Raúl.)

The Determiners this, this, that, that, that and that and their plural forms, never have Tilde.

That car was stolen. (That car was stolen.)

This, That and That never have a Tilde because they are always Pronouns and it is impossible to confuse them.