- What are plain words?
- When are plain words accentuated?
- Exceptions in plain words
- Examples of plain words
We explain what flat or low words are, how they are accentuated and what the exceptions are. Also, a list of various examples.
What are plain words?
In Spanish, words can be classified according to the location of their stressed syllable, that is, of the syllable which is pronounced with greater emphasis than the others, in four main categories: serious, sharp, esdrújulas Y overdrives. Words in the first category, grave words, are also known as plain or paroxitone words.
The characteristic feature of plain words is that the force of intonation always falls on the penultimate syllable, that is, the syllable that is before the last. Most of the words in the Spanish language are in this group, so that the plain words are very numerous, and in general they tend to end in vowels, or in the consonants -no -s, as is the case of dog (eg -rro), germ (ger-men) or pones (po-nes).
When are plain words accentuated?
Plain words may or may not have accents or accents, depending on a very simple rule: they are graphically accented (with accents) when they culminate in a consonant other than -n or -s. In other words, if they end in -n, -s, or a vowel, they are not graphically stressed. Remember that the accent must always fall on the stressed syllable.
That's why words like dog (dog) are not accented, but words like pencil (pencil) are.
Exceptions in plain words
There are, however, two exceptions to the previous rule, which in general are words adopted into Spanish from other languages, such as Latin or English. These words always have an accent, as in the cases of:
- Words that end in -s preceded by a consonant, such as biceps (biceps) or comics (comics).
- Words that end in -y, such as jóquey (jó-quey).
- Words with hiatus, in which an accent is required to separate the weak vowel from the strong one, as in the case of roída (ro-í-da) or Jewish (ju-dí-o).
Examples of plain words
Here is a list of plain words with their stressed syllable highlighted:
- Rengo (ren-go)
- Deaf (deaf)
- Market (market-do)
- Thunder (true-no)
- Gypsy (gi-ta-no)
- Leek (leek)
- Indian (in-dio)
- Altars (al-ta-res)
- Pencil pencil)
- Car (car)
- Boundary (lin-de-ro)
- Germ (germ)
- Gatuno (ga-you-no)
- Just alone)
- Dad dad)
- Shirt (ca-mi-sa)
- Jewish (Jewish)
- Clover (shamrock)
- Tournament (tournament)
- Tree (tree)
- Sad sad)
- Forceps (for-ceps)
- Jar (jar)
- Legal (legal)
- Clumsily (tor-pe-ment-te)
- Biceps (biceps)
- Principle (prin-ci-pio)
- You measure (mi-des)
- Fried (fri-to)
- Vaccine (va-cu-na)
- Walk (ca-mi-na)
- Paloma (pa-lo-ma)
- Pineapple (pineapple)
- Cool (cool-co)
- Flint (yes-lex)
- Ugly ugly)
- Painting (pin-tu-ra)
- I wish (de-se-o)
- Futile (futile)
- Hollow (hollow)
- Permean (per-me-an)
- Parrot (lo-ro)
- Succumb (su-cum-be)
- Husband (ma-ri-do)
- Bull (to-ro)
- Slightly (you-see-me-you)
- You crawl (ga-te-as)
- Zopenco (zo-pen-co)
- Galaxy (ga-la-xia)
- Wall (mu-ro)
- Toad (sa-po)
- Worm (gu-sa-no)
- Seriously (seriously)
- Delicious)
- Agile (Agile)
- They fight (pe-le-an)
- Cruel (cruel)
- Deafness (sor-de-ra)
- Ductile (duc-til)
- You distrust (dis-trust)
- Pores (po-ros)
- Tremenda (tre-men-da)
- Tomas (take-mas)
- Revolver (revolver-see)
- Gifted (do-ta-do)
- Serenade (se-re-na-ta)
- Volume (vol-lu-men)
- So much)
- Cousins (cousins)
- Jogging (tro-tar)
- Sulfur (a-zu-fre)
- Easy (Easy)
- Document (do-cu-men-to)
- Sardine (sar-di-na)
- Minors (minors)
- Holy (san-to)
- Five five)
- Eclipse (e-clip-se)
- Fall (fall)
- Sober (sober)
- Lost (lost)
- Catalogan (ca-ta-lo-gan)
- Mercury (mer-cu-rio)
- Superb (so-ber-bio)
- Mule (mu-la)
- Fruit (fru-ta)
- American (a-me-ri-ca-no)
- Kidnapping (se-question)
- Tired (can-sa-do)
- Ninety (not-for-sale)
- Atheist (a-te-o)
- Dying (mo-ri-bun-do)
- Pulley (pulley)
- Sergeant (sar-gen-to)
- You adopt (a-dop-tas)
- Sheep (bo-rre-go)
- Alelado (a-le-la-do)
- Powerful (po-ten-te)
- Hand hand)
- Opinions (o-pi-nio-nes)
- Settlement (a-sen-ta-mien-to)
- Parallel (pa-ra-le-la-ment-te)