What is an acute accent?

An acute accent (´) is a diacritical mark that is placed over a letter to indicate a higher pitch or stress on that syllable. It is used in various languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

In French, the acute accent is used to indicate the open pronunciation of a vowel, such as in the word "éclair" (lightning). It is also used to distinguish between homonyms, such as "là" (there) and "la" (the).

In Spanish, the acute accent is used to indicate stress on a syllable, such as in the word "sílaba" (syllable). It is also used to distinguish between homonyms, such as "si" (if) and "sí" (yes).

In Italian, the acute accent is used to indicate the stressed vowel in a word, such as in the word "caffè" (coffee). It is also used to distinguish between homonyms, such as "la" (the) and "là" (there).

In Portuguese, the acute accent is used to indicate the open pronunciation of a vowel, such as in the word "é" (and). It is also used to distinguish between homonyms, such as "la" (the) and "lá" (there).