Agudas, llanas, esdrújulas, diacritical accent and diphthongs
Master Spanish accentuation rules: agudas (accent if ending in vowel, -n or -s), llanas (accent if NOT ending in vowel, -n or -s), esdrújulas (always accented), diacritical accent (tú/tu, sé/se, más/mas), diphthongs and hiatuses. 15 questions with real curriculum cases.
Accentuation has a reputation for being arbitrary, but it is actually one of the most systematic parts of Spanish spelling: with just three categories (agudas, llanas, esdrújulas) and one clear rule for each, you can correctly accent almost any word without memorising it in advance.
The exam covers the three-category rule, the diacritical accent (tú/tu, sé/se, más/mas) that distinguishes identical words with different meanings, and the 2010 RAE changes that many adults still don't apply correctly.
Revise accentuation with real curriculum cases in the exam below.
Spanish Language · Primary, Secondary
Aguda + ends in vowel/-n/-s → accent (café, canción, cortés). Llana + does NOT end in vowel/-n/-s → accent (árbol, fácil). Esdrújula → always accent (teléfono, música).
Identical words with different meanings: tú (pronoun) / tu (possessive), sé (verb) / se (pronoun), más (adverb) / mas (conjunction). The exam covers all key pairs.
Solo no longer takes an accent (old rule: sólo). Este/ese/aquel without accent even as pronouns. The exam reflects current rules, not old ones.
"A Primary student didn't know if "árbol" needed an accent. With the rule: it's llana (stress on ÁR-bol), it ends in -l (not vowel, -n or -s) → needs accent. They never doubt again."
Tricks and techniques to master this topic faster:
Count syllables first, then identify where the stress falls (tonic syllable).
Aguda: stress on LAST syllable. Llana: on SECOND-TO-LAST. Esdrújula: on THIRD-TO-LAST.
Hiatus with stressed weak vowel → accent even if it looks like a diphthong: pa-ís, ma-íz, ba-úl.
Question and exclamation words always take accent: qué, cuándo, dónde, cómo, quién.
If you are studying Spanish Accentuation — Accent Rules, these curriculum topics complement each other:
Tuthor uses essential cookies to work and, with your permission, analytics cookies to improve the experience.