The Spanish "Eñe" (Ñ)
The letter Ñ is the most recognizable symbol of the Spanish language. Unlike other accented characters, it is considered a distinct letter in the alphabet, appearing after N. It represents the sound "ny" (as in "canyon").
Accents (Tildes) and Stress
Spanish uses the acute accent (´) to indicate which syllable should be stressed in a word if it breaks standard pronunciation rules. It also distinguishes words that are spelled the same but have different meanings (e.g., *si* means "if," while *sí* means "yes").
Inverted Punctuation (¿ ?)
Spanish is unique in using inverted punctuation marks at the beginning of questions (¿) and exclamations (¡). This alerts the reader to change their intonation before they even read the sentence.
- Usage: The inverted mark must match the closing mark. For example: ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
- Mid-sentence: Interestingly, a question can start in the middle of a sentence: Si vienes, ¿te quedarás?