tilde
/ˈtilde/
The English phrase 'accent mark' is translated into Spanish as tilde.
The term tilde diacrítica is used to refer to accent marks used to distinguish between words that are spelled the same but have different meanings, such as si (if) and sí (yes).
Which one should you use?
While tilde refers to the physical mark itself, acento refers to the concept of the accent or the stress in a word.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtilde/
Did you know?
- The word tilde is a linguistic 'false friend' for English speakers. In English, a 'tilde' refers specifically to the wavy line '~' used in mathematics or proofreading, but in Spanish, it refers to any acute accent mark.
- The Spanish tilde is fundamentally an acute accent, meaning it only slopes upwards. Unlike French or Italian, Spanish does not use grave ` or circumflex ^ accents in its own native words.
- The word tilde likely traces its roots back to the Latin word titulus, which meant a label, a heading, or a small inscription.
Examples in context
- ¡Qué extraño! Juraría haber puesto esa tilde…That's strange. I could've sworn I put that accent mark…Tatoeba #2389611 by Shishir, translation #10153871 by DJ_Saidez
- No olvides poner la tilde en la palabra.Don't forget to put the accent mark on the word.
- ¿Esa tilde es necesaria en este caso?Is that accent mark necessary in this case?
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are reviewing a written essay.
- MateoElena, ¿esta palabra lleva tilde?Elena, does this word have an accent mark?
- ElenaNo, no necesita ninguna tilde.No, it doesn't need any accent mark.
- MateoGracias por corregir mi texto.Thanks for correcting my text.
- ElenaDe nada, Mateo.You're welcome, Mateo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tilde, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tilde, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
