noun
accent
A written mark on a letter that indicates pronunciation.
The student adds an accent above the final letter of café.
Etymology
Latin accentus referred to vocal intonation. A written accent makes an aspect of pronunciation visible, marking how a letter or syllable should be sounded.
More examples
- The keyboard can produce several different accents.
- An acute accent appears above the vowel.
- Leaving out the accent changes how some readers pronounce the word.
Forms
accent · accents
Similar words
- diacritic
- A broader category of marks modifying letters or pronunciation.
- stress mark
- Specifically indicates emphasis rather than other pronunciation features.