section_path: Writing system
section_name: Writing system
paragraph_text: Writing system
  
  Spanish is written in the Latin script, with the addition of the character ⟨ ñ ⟩ (eñe, representing the phoneme / ɲ /, a letter distinct from ⟨ n ⟩, although typographically composed of an ⟨ n ⟩ with a tilde). Formerly the digraphs ⟨ ch ⟩ (che, representing the phoneme /t͡ʃ/) and ⟨ ll ⟩ (elle, representing the phoneme / ʎ / or /ʝ/), were also considered single letters. However, the digraph ⟨ rr ⟩ (erre fuerte, 'strong r', erre doble, 'double r', or simply erre), which also represents a distinct phoneme /r/, was not similarly regarded as a single letter. Since 1994 ⟨ ch ⟩ and ⟨ ll ⟩ have been treated as letter pairs for collation purposes, though they remained a part of the alphabet until 2010. Words with ⟨ ch ⟩ are now alphabetically sorted between those with ⟨ cg ⟩ and ⟨ ci ⟩, instead of following ⟨ cz ⟩ as they used to. The situation is similar for ⟨ ll ⟩.
  
  Thus, the Spanish alphabet has the following 27 letters:
  
  Since 2010, none of the digraphs (ch, ll, rr, gu, qu) are considered letters by the Royal Spanish Academy.
  
  The letters k and w are used only in words and names coming from foreign languages (kilo, folklore, whisky, kiwi, etc.).
  
  With the exclusion of a very small number of regional terms such as México (see Toponymy of Mexico), pronunciation can be entirely determined from spelling. Under the orthographic conventions, a typical Spanish word is stressed on the syllable before the last if it ends with a vowel (not including ⟨ y ⟩) or with a vowel followed by ⟨ n ⟩ or an ⟨ s ⟩; it is stressed on the last syllable otherwise. Exceptions to this rule are indicated by placing an acute accent on the stressed vowel.
  
  The acute accent is used, in addition, to distinguish between certain homophones, especially when one of them is a stressed word and the other one is a clitic: compare el ('the', masculine singular definite article) with él ('he' or 'it'), or te ('you', object pronoun) with té ('tea'), de (preposition 'of') versus dé ('give'), and se (reflexive pronoun) versus sé ('I know' or imperative 'be').
  
  The interrogative pronouns (qué, cuál, dónde, quién, etc.) also receive accents in direct or indirect questions, and some demonstratives (ése, éste, aquél, etc.) can be accented when used as pronouns. Accent marks used to be omitted on capital letters (a widespread practice in the days of typewriters and the early days of computers when only lowercase vowels were available with accents), although the Real Academia Española advises against this and the orthographic conventions taught at schools enforce the use of the accent.
  
  When u is written between g and a front vowel e or i, it indicates a " hard g " pronunciation. A diaeresis ü indicates that it is not silent as it normally would be (e.g., cigüeña, 'stork', is pronounced; if it were written * cigueña, it would be pronounced *).
  
  Interrogative and exclamatory clauses are introduced with inverted question and exclamation marks (¿ and ¡, respectively) and closed by the usual question and exclamation marks.