• What are sharp words?
• Sharp words with tilde
• Sharp words without accent
• Exceptions in sharp words

We explain what acute words are, in which cases they are accentuated with accents, and examples of acute words with and without accents.

Sharp words are those whose stressed syllable is at the end.

What are sharp words?

The words of the Spanish language are divided into syllables, each encompassing a sound specific composed of one or more vowels and one or more consonants. For example, the word “clock” is made up of “re-” and “-watch”.

Thus, words can be classified depending on which of the syllables that compose them has greater emphasis or sound power than the others: a syllable that will be known as a “stressed syllable”. Continuing with our example, the stressed syllable of “clock” is “-loj”.

Now, depending on the position in which said stressed syllable is found within the word, we can distinguish between three main categories:

• Sharp words. The stressed syllable is the last.
• Serious words. The stressed syllable is the second to last.
• Words esdrújulas. The stressed syllable is the penultimate syllable or anterior.
• Words sobreesdrújulas. Its stressed syllable is before the third to last.

In the case that interests us, the stressed syllable of "clock" is in the last syllable, so it is a sharp word, technically known as oxytone words.

High-pitched words are extremely abundant in the Spanish language, only surpassed by low or flat words. In fact, most words ending in consonants other than -n and of -s, and many that end in more than one consonant in a row (such as robots).

Sharp words with tilde

The acute words ending in n, s or vowel carry an accent.

As in the other cases, to find out if a sharp word whether or not it has a tilde, it will be enough to observe its completion. I know accentuate always those sharp words whose ending is a vowel, -n or -s (preceded by a vowel). For example:

• "Truck" (truck), "song" (song), "plantain" (llan-tén), "marzipan" (ma-za-pán), "embankment" (terra-plén), " lazy "(ha-ra-gán)," garden "(garden-dín), mastiff (mas-tín)," pawn "(pe-on).
• "Also" (a-de-más), "boss" (man-da-more), "reverse" (re-vés), Cordovan (cor-do-bés), "work" (tra-ba-jéis) , "Exist" (e-xis-tís).
• "Sofa" (so-fa), "corraló" (a-cor-rra-ló), "I accepted" (a-cep-tea), "Peru" (pe-ru), "died" (died) , prevented (im-pe-di), manatee (ma-na-tí).

Sharp words without accent

Acute words that do not end in n, s or vowel do not have an accent.

From the previous rule it follows that acute words ending neither in -s, nor in -n, nor in vowel, should not have an accent. This extends to sharp words ending in more than one consonant. For example:

• "Foreman" (ca-pa-taz), "ostrich" (a-ves-truz), "dominatrix" (do-mi-na-triz), "partridge" (part-diz).
• “Alguacil” (al-gua-cil), “profiterol” (pro-fi-te-rol), “nogal” (no-gal), “timbal” (tim-bal), “paper” (pa-pel) , "Brothel" (bur-del).
• "love love), "steam”(Va-por),“ sing ”(sing-tar),“ help ”(so-run-rrer),“ prevent ”(im-pe-dir),“ cambur ”(cam-bur).
• "Clock" (re-loj), "virtue"(Vir-tud),"Health”(Sa-lud),“ senescence ”(se-nec-tud).

Exceptions in sharp words

Sharp words can be stressed to break a diphthong and produce a hiatus.

An exception to take into account are those cases in which, to break a diphthong final, some high-pitched words can be stressed despite not ending in a vowel, in -n, nor in -s. For example:

• “Baúl” (ba-úl), “raíl” (ra-íl), “corn” (ma-íz), “gambler” (ta-húr), “Raúl” (ra-úl).