accent
ac·cent/ˈæk.sɛnt/noun, verb
accent is spelled A-C-C-E-N-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (ac·cent). It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, accent means “A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of accent is accents.
How many letters and syllables are in accent?
| Letters | 6: A-C-C-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ac·cent |
| In writing | 14 times per million words; the 5,679th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is accent?
Accent appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,679th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce accent?
- UK /ˈak.sənt/
- UK /-sɛnt/
- US /ˈæk.sɛnt/
As a verb (“To express the accent of vocally; to utter with accent”): /ækˈsɛnt/, /ækˈsɛnt/, /ˈæk.sɛnt/.
Accent has 2 syllables, split ac·cent in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-accent.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Yangolin-accent.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Yangolin-accent_(Southern_US_pronunciation).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of accent
- accents plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- accenting participle, present
- accented participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does accent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.
In the word "careful", the accent is placed on the first syllable.
- 2
Emphasis or importance in general.
At this hotel, the accent is on luxury.
- 3
A mark used in writing, in order to indicate the place of the spoken stress.
- 4
Any mark used in writing over letters, either in order to indicate the place of the spoken stress, or to indicate the nature or quality of the vowel marked, or to distinguish homophones.
The name Cézanne is written with an acute accent.
- 5
Modulation of the voice in speaking; the manner of speaking or pronouncing; a peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice, expressing emotion; tone.
- 6
The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.
a foreign accent
- 7
informalproscribedA manner of pronunciation suggesting that the speaker is from a different region; a foreign accent.
My professor's accent is so thick that it's difficult to understand her lectures.
- 8
A distinctive manner of producing a sign language, such as someone who does not normally use a certain sign language might have when using it.
verb
- 1
To express the accent of vocally; to utter with accent.
- 2
To mark emphatically; to emphasize; to accentuate; to make prominent.
- 3
To mark with written accents.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Accent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | accent , signe diacritique, diacritique , accentuer |
| German | Betonung , diakritisches Zeichen, Diakritikum, Diakritikon , Akzent, Akzentzeichen |
| Portuguese | acento, tonicidade, ênfase , acento diacrítico , acentuar |
| Spanish | acento léxico , acento gráfico, tilde , dejo, deje, dejillo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does accent come from?
Inherited from Middle English accent, from Medieval Latin accentus and Old French accent, acent, both from Latin accentus, past participle of accinō (“sing to, sing along”), from ad- + canō (“to sing”
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).