noun

accent

accent, stress, emphasis

She speaks English with a French accent.

She speaks English with a French accent.

The accent is on the first syllable.

The accent is on the first syllable.

They added a blue accent wall to the room.

They added a blue accent wall to the room.

((a/an ... accent)) a way of pronouncing words She has a slight accent.

((the accent on sth.)) the stress on a part of a word The accent is on the second syllable.

((an accent)) a feature that is emphasized The red pillows add a nice accent.

Synonyms: pronunciation, intonation, stress, emphasis

From Latin 'accentus' (a song, accent), from 'ad-' (to) + 'cantus' (a song).

Think of the 'song' or tone added to speech. An accent is the unique 'music' of how someone speaks.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.