What do the accent marks above English words mean?
Have you ever noticed the little marks above some English words? These are called accent marks or diacritical marks, and they indicate the pronunciation of the word. There are many different types of accent marks, but in English, the most common ones are the acute accent, the grave accent, and the circumflex accent.
The acute accent
The acute accent looks like a little mark (´) above a vowel, such as é or í. It indicates that the vowel should be pronounced with a higher pitch or stress than the other syllables in the word. For example:
- The word "café" has an acute accent above the "e" to indicate that it should be pronounced "ka-FEY" instead of "ka-FAY".
- The word "résumé" has an acute accent above the "e" to indicate that it should be pronounced "REY-suh-mey" instead of "REZ-uh-may".
The grave accent
The grave accent looks like a little mark (`) above a vowel, such as è or ò. It indicates that the vowel should be pronounced with a lower pitch or stress than the other syllables in the word. For example:
- The word "crème" has a grave accent above the "e" to indicate that it should be pronounced "krem" instead of "kree-m".
- The word "rôle" has a grave accent above the "e" to indicate that it should be pronounced "rohl" instead of "roll".
The circumflex accent
The circumflex accent looks like a little mark (^) above a vowel, such as ê or î. It indicates that the vowel should be pronounced with a different sound than it normally would be. For example:
- The word "hôtel" has a circumflex accent above the "o" to indicate that it should be pronounced "oh-TEL" instead of "ho-TEL".
- The word "maître" has a circumflex accent above the "i" to indicate that it should be pronounced "meh-TRUH" instead of "may-TER".
Overall, accent marks can be very helpful in indicating the correct pronunciation of a word. However, they can also be confusing if you're not familiar with them, so it's always a good idea to check a dictionary or pronunciation guide if you're unsure.