Spanish stress rules: where to put the emphasis

Q: Why does canción lose its accent in the plural?

Adding -es gives canciones, where the stress naturally lands on the second-to-last syllable and follows the default rule, so no accent is needed. The reverse happens with joven → jóvenes, where an accent is added to keep the original stress.

Spanish stress is predictable. Two default rules cover most words, and a written accent marks every exception. The defaults: if a word ends in a vowel, -n or -s, stress the second-to-last syllable; if it ends in any other consonant, stress the last syllable. If a word breaks these rules, it carries a written accent that tells you exactly where to stress.

Word ends in	Default stress	Example
vowel, `-n`, `-s`	second-to-last syllable	casa → CA-sahouse
any other consonant	last syllable	hablar → ha-BLARto speak
an accent mark	wherever the accent is	café → ca-FÉcoffee

Default 1: ending in a vowel, -n or -s

Most Spanish words end this way, and they are stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable, with no accent needed.

casa → CA-sa
house

hablan → HA-blan
they speak

lunes → LU-nes
Monday

Default 2: ending in another consonant

Words ending in a consonant other than -n or -s are stressed on the last syllable, again without an accent.

hablar → ha-BLAR
to speak

feliz → fe-LIZ
happy

usted → us-TED
you (formal)

The accent marks every exception

When a word does not follow the default, a written accent shows the stressed syllable. This is the only job of the accent for stress.

café → ca-FÉ (ends in a vowel but stress is last)
coffee

árbol → ÁR-bol (ends in -l but stress is second-to-last)
tree

teléfono → te-LÉ-fo-no (stress is third-to-last, always accented)
telephone

Any word stressed on the third-to-last syllable always carries an accent, so words like médico, rápido and música are easy to read aloud.

Why plurals can gain or lose an accent

Adding a syllable can move a word into or out of the default pattern, so the accent appears or disappears to keep the same sound.

joven → jóvenes (accent added)
young person → young people

canción → canciones (accent dropped)
song → songs

Common mistakes

Ignoring the accent when reading

The accent is not decoration; it overrides the default and changes the stressed syllable. Read está as es-TÁ, not ES-ta.

Stressing the wrong syllable in -ar verbs

Infinitives end in a consonant (-r), so the stress is on the last syllable.

comer → co-MER, not CO-mer
to eat

Forgetting that the accent can change meaning

A single accent can separate two words, so dropping it can change the sense: el (the) vs él (he), si (if) vs sí (yes).

The accent shifts you see here are the same ones behind the Spanish plural rules, where adding -es moves the stress. In Fluera every word comes with audio, so you hear the stress while you read the spelling, and the accent marks start to predict the sound. Use that when you practice Spanish and pronunciation stops being a guess.

Practice

Where is the stress?

Question 1 of 10

casa (ends in a vowel) — stress is on:

Frequently asked questions

What are the basic stress rules in Spanish?

If a word ends in a vowel, -n or -s, stress the second-to-last syllable (casa, hablan, lunes). If it ends in any other consonant, stress the last syllable (hablar, feliz, usted). A written accent marks any word that breaks these defaults.

What does the accent mark do in Spanish?

For stress, the written accent simply shows which syllable is stressed when a word does not follow the default rules: café, árbol, teléfono. A few accents also separate identical-looking words, like el (the) and él (he).

Why does canción lose its accent in the plural?

Adding -es gives canciones, where the stress naturally lands on the second-to-last syllable and follows the default rule, so no accent is needed. The reverse happens with joven → jóvenes, where an accent is added to keep the original stress.