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Portuguese Accent Rules (Acentuação em Português)

Practice portuguese accent rules

This lesson explains Portuguese accent rules in a simple way for beginners. You will learn how stressed syllables work, how accent marks change pronunciation, and practice with exercises designed for students learning Brazilian Portuguese as a second language.

Learning Portuguese accents rules is important because accents help us know:

  • which syllable is stressed

  • how to pronounce the vowel

  • sometimes the meaning of the word

Example:

WordMeaning
avoancestor
avógrandmother
avôgrandfather

1. What is a stressed syllable?

Every Portuguese word has one syllable that is stronger. This is called the stressed syllable.

Examples:

caFÉ
boNIto
MÉdico
braSIL

Sometimes Portuguese uses accent marks to show the stressed syllable.

Example:

  • cafe → café

  • medico → médico

2. Types of Words in Portuguese

Portuguese words are divided into three groups, depending on where the stressed syllable is.

1. Oxytone Words (Oxítonas)

The last syllable is stressed.

Examples:

caFÉ
hoTEL
braSIL
tamBÉM

Oxytone words have an accent when they end in:

A, E, O, EM, ENS

Examples:

WordMeaning
cafécoffee
sofásofa
vocêyou
tambémalso
parabénscongratulations

2. Paroxytone Words (Paroxítonas)

The second-to-last syllable is stressed.

Examples:

boNIto
CAsa
LIvro
COmer

Most Portuguese words are paroxytone words.

Paroxytone words use accents when they do NOT end in:

A, E, O, EM, ENS

Examples:

WordMeaning
fácileasy
lápispencil
tênistennis / sneakers
açúcarsugar
carátercharacter
 

3. Proparoxytone Words (Proparoxítonas)

The third-to-last syllable is stressed.

Important rule:

All proparoxytone words have an accent.

Examples:

WordMeaning
médicodoctor
músicamusic
públicopublic
rápidofast
lógicological

Example pronunciation:

MÉ-di-co
MÚ-si-ca
RÁ-pi-do

4. Accent Marks Change the Sound

In Portuguese, accents can also change the sound of vowels.

É (open sound)

café
pé
José

Ê (closed sound)

você
inglês
bebê

Ó (open sound)

avó
pó

Ô (closed sound)

avô
vôo

5. Accent Marks Can Change Meaning

Some words change meaning depending on the accent.

Examples:

WordMeaning
avoancestor
avógrandmother
avôgrandfather

Another example:

WordMeaning
publicoI publish
públicopublic

6. Quick Summary

Portuguese accent rules follow these basic ideas:

✔ All proparoxytone words have accents
✔ Oxytone words have accents when ending in A, E, O, EM, ENS
✔ Paroxytone words have accents when they do not end in A, E, O, EM, ENS

7. Tips for Learning Portuguese Accents

  1. Always listen to the stressed syllable.

  2. Read Portuguese out loud.

  3. Practice with common words.

  4. Pay attention to accent marks.

Accent marks help you pronounce Portuguese correctly and naturally.

Practice portuguese accent rules

Exercise 1 – Identify the Stressed Syllable

Write the stressed syllable in capital letters.

Example:
caFÉ

  1. médico

  2. bonito

  3. também

  4. rápido

  5. hotel

  6. açúcar

  7. também

  8. rápido

  9. bonito

  10. português

Exercise 2 – Identify the Type of Word

Choose the correct type:

Oxytone / Paroxytone / Proparoxytone

  1. café

  2. casa

  3. música

  4. também

  5. lápis

  6. médico

  7. hotel

  8. também

  9. fácil

  10. música

Exercise 3 – Add the Missing Accent

Write the word with the correct accent mark.

  1. cafe

  2. medico

  3. rapido

  4. voce

  5. parabens

Exercise 4 – Choose the Correct Word

Choose the correct option.

  1. My grandmother
    ( ) avo
    ( ) avó

  2. Coffee
    ( ) cafe
    ( ) café

  3. Doctor
    ( ) medico
    ( ) médico

  4. Public
    ( ) publico
    ( ) público

  5. You (singular informal)
    ( ) voce
    ( ) você

Exercise 5 – Write the Correct Form

Rewrite the word with the correct accent.

  1. portugues

  2. ingles

  3. voce

  4. tambem

  5. lapis

Exercise 6 – True or False

Write True or False.

  1. All proparoxytone words have accents.

  2. Café is a paroxytone word.

  3. Música is a proparoxytone word.

  4. Hotel is an oxytone word.

  5. Bonito is an oxytone word.

Exercise 7 – Complete the Sentence

Choose the correct word.

  1. Eu bebo ______ todos os dias.
    (cafe / café)

  2. Ele é ______.
    (medico / médico)

  3. Eu falo ______.
    (portugues / português)

  4. Isso é muito ______.
    (facil / fácil)

  5. Parabéns para ______.
    (voce / você)

Exercise 8 – Identify the Accent Sound

Is the vowel open or closed?

Example: café → open

  1. você

  2. café

  3. avô

  4. avó

  5. inglês

Exercise 9 – Correct the Sentence

Fix the accent errors.

  1. Eu gosto de cafe.

  2. Meu pai é medico.

  3. Parabens para voce.

  4. O portugues é interessante.

  5. Este exercicio é facil.

Answer Key – Portuguese Accent Exercises

Exercise 1 – Identify the Stressed Syllable

  1. MÉdico

  2. boNIto

  3. tamBÉM

  4. RÁpido

  5. hoTEL

  6. aÇÚcar

  7. tamBÉM

  8. RÁpido

  9. boNIto

  10. portuGUÊS

Exercise 2 – Identify the Type of Word

  1. café → Oxytone

  2. casa → Paroxytone

  3. música → Proparoxytone

  4. também → Oxytone

  5. lápis → Paroxytone

  6. médico → Proparoxytone

  7. hotel → Oxytone

  8. também → Oxytone

  9. fácil → Paroxytone

  10. música → Proparoxytone

Exercise 3 – Add the Missing Accent

  1. cafe → café

  2. medico → médico

  3. rapido → rápido

  4. voce → você

  5. parabens → parabéns

Exercise 4 – Choose the Correct Word

My grandmother
✔ avó

Coffee
✔ café

Doctor
✔ médico

Public
✔ público

You (singular informal)
✔ você

Exercise 5 – Write the Correct Form

  1. portugues → português

  2. ingles → inglês

  3. voce → você

  4. tambem → também

  5. lapis → lápis

Exercise 6 – True or False

  1. All proparoxytone words have accents.
    ✔ True

  2. Café is a paroxytone word.
    ❌ False (it is oxytone)

  3. Música is a proparoxytone word.
    ✔ True

  4. Hotel is an oxytone word.
    ✔ True

  5. Bonito is an oxytone word.
    ❌ False (it is paroxytone)

Exercise 7 – Complete the Sentence

  1. Eu bebo café todos os dias.

  2. Ele é médico.

  3. Eu falo português.

  4. Isso é muito fácil.

  5. Parabéns para você.

Exercise 8 – Identify the Accent Sound

  1. você → closed

  2. café → open

  3. avô → closed

  4. avó → open

  5. inglês → closed

Exercise 9 – Correct the Sentence

  1. Eu gosto de café.

  2. Meu pai é médico.

  3. Parabéns para você.

  4. O português é interessante.

  5. Este exercício é fácil.

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