Explanation
Understanding stress in Spanish is key to correct pronunciation, as are understanding the fancy words used to talk about stress patterns in Spanish!
- The terms llanasand graves(paroxytone) refer to words where the stressed syllable is the second-to-last syllable.
- The term esdrújulas(proparoxytone) refers to words where the the stressed syllable is the third-to-last syllable.
- The term sobreesdrújulas(preproparoxytone) refers to words where the the stressed syllable is the fourth-to-last, fifth-to-last, or sixth-to-last syllable.
This article focuses on palabras esdrújulas(proparoxytone words), such as pájaro(bird).
Diving Deeper
Knowing where to put the stress on a word in Spanish is the difference between pronouncing a word like computadorawith great Spanish pronunciation (kohm-poo-tah-DOH-rah), instead of Englishy pronunciation (kohm-POO-tah-doh-rah).
There are four main categories of words you'll come across when talking about Spanish word stress: palabras agudas, palabras llanas(also called palabras graves, palabras esdrújulas, and palabras sobresdrújulas. Let's take a closer look at each one.
Palabras Agudas
Las palabras agudas are words that are stressed on the last syllable.
Pronunciation Tip
If a word ends in a consonant other than s or n and the word does not have a tilde anywhere, the word is a palabra aguda.
Las palabras agudas have a tilde on the final syllable to mark word stress if the last letter in the word is a vowel or the consonants s or n.
Palabras Graves (Llanas)
Las palabras graves, also called palabras llanas, are words that are stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable.
Pronunciation Tip
If a word ends in a vowel, s, or n and does not have a tilde anywhere, the word is a palabra grave.
Las palabras graves have a written accent on the second-to-last syllable to mark word stress in words that end in any consonant other than s or n and in groups of consonants like ps and cs.
| Spanish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| álbum | AHL-boom | album |
| árbol | AHR-bohl | tree |
| ave | AH-beh | bird |
| bíceps | BEE-sehps | biceps |
| cantan | KAHN-tahn | they sing |
| computadora | kohm-poo-tah-DOH-rah | computer |
| mono | MOH-noh | monkey |
Palabras Esdrújulas
Las palabras esdrújulas are words that are stressed on the antepenultimate (third-to-last) syllable.
Pronunciation Tip
These words always have a written accent on the stressed syllable.
| Spanish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| América | ah-MEH-ree-kah | the Americas |
| clásico | CLAH-see-koh | classic |
| pájaro | PAH-hah-roh | bird |
| rápido | RAH-pee-doh | fast |
| teléfono | teh-LEH-foh-noh | telephone |
Palabras Sobresdrújulas
Las palabras sobresdrújulas are words that are stressed on the fourth-to-last, fifth-to-last, or sixth-to-last syllable.
Pronunciation Tip
These words always have a written accent on the stressed syllable.
For the most part, only words that are made up of a verb form and two or more pronoun forms are palabras sobresdrújulas.
Examples of Palabras Esdrújulas in Spanish
Now let's take a look at some examples of palabras esdrújulas in Spanish.
Want to learn more about Spanish pronunciation? Check out the following articles!
