They distinguish words that look identical, like the verb resume (to start again) vs. the noun résumé (a CV).
A —often called an accent mark—is a small glyph added to a letter to change its sound or distinguish it from a similar word. While common in languages like French, Spanish, and German, they also play a subtle but important role in English. 📍 Common Diacritics You See Every Day diacritic
Indicates a nasalized sound or a "ny" blend, common in jalapeño . They distinguish words that look identical, like the
Changes a hard "k" sound to a soft "s," found in façade or garçon . While common in languages like French, Spanish, and
Used in English primarily for poetic effect to show an extra syllable is pronounced, like learnèd .
Visually identical to the diaeresis but used in Germanic languages to change vowel quality, often seen in band names like Motörhead for aesthetic flair. ⌨️ How to Type Them Quickly
Using a diacritic often signals that a word is a "loanword" from another language (e.g., frappé or açai ).