enforex_pages_landing_block_a1a2d272-f691-447e-ab38-ebf05eb09ed6
You've probably wondered why some words in Spanish have two dots above the vowel U. This linguistic phenomenon is called diéresis in Spanish (diaeresis) and appears in certain words, but do you know what its function is?
If you want to find out what a diaeresis is and how it is used, this article from don Quijote is perfect for you. Continue on your journey of learning Spanish in Spain and discover the secrets we reveal to help you master the language like a native speaker.
You can also read this article in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, or Dutch.
What is diaeresis?
The diaeresis or dieresis in Spanish is an orthographic symbol represented by two small dots above vowels. In Spanish, this symbol is placed above a single vowel, the U, and only in certain words. The diaeresis indicates that the vowel is pronounced in that word.
Why then in Spanish is it only used on the vowel U? Because generally, in words such as guerra (war) or guitarra (guitar), the U is silent. In this way, the diaeresis indicates that in a specific word, the vowel is pronounced and has an independent sound.
For example, some words with diaereses in Spanish are:
- Pingüino (Penguin)
- Lingüístico (Linguistic)
- Vergüenza (Embarrassment)
- Ambigüedad (Ambiguity)
- Bilingüe (Bilingual)
- Antigüedad (Antiquity)
- Cigüeña (Stork)
- Paragüero (Umbrella stand)
- Amortigüé (Cushioned)
Without the Spanish diaeresis, the above words would be pronounced incorrectly according to the phonetic rules of the Spanish language.a