Inklingo

How to Say "tilde" in Spanish

The Spanish word fortildeis acentoA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1
nounA1
often used synonymously with accent mark in common speech, though technically tilde is only used for the ~ over the n
A single, large, acute accent mark symbol (a small diagonal line) floating in the center of a simple colorful background.

Examples

Olvidaste poner el acento en la 'e' de 'café'.

You forgot to put the accent mark on the 'e' of 'café'.

La palabra 'árbol' lleva acento en la primera sílaba.

The word 'árbol' carries the stress mark on the first syllable.

¿Este 'si' lleva acento o no?

Does this 'si' (if/yes) have an accent mark or not?

Written vs. Spoken Stress

In Spanish, the accent mark (acento escrito) tells you exactly where to put the emphasis (acento prosódico) in a word, breaking the normal stress rules.

Diacritical Marks

Sometimes the accent mark is used simply to tell two identical-sounding words apart, like 'sí' (yes) and 'si' (if).

Confusing 'Acento' and 'Tilde'

Mistake:Using 'tilde' to refer to any accent mark.

Correction: 'Acento' refers to the written mark (´). 'Tilde' technically refers only to the squiggle over the N (ñ), but people often use 'tilde' for the accent mark anyway.

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