How do you use the word "accent" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "accent": He is a foreigner, as is evident from his accent. Judging from his accent, he must be from Osaka.

Accent Meaning

/ˈak.sənt/

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounA higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.

nounEmphasis or importance in general.

Sentence Examples

He is a foreigner, as is evident from his accent.

Judging from his accent, he must be from Osaka.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

idiom stress emphasis

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

Her strong southern ____ made her speech easily distinguishable from the locals here.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

She has a charming French ____ when she speaks English.

Word Origin & History

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Medieval Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-der. Proto-Italic *kanō Medieval Latin canō Medieval Latin accinō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Medieval Latin -tus ▲ Ancient Greek προσῳδῐ́ᾱ (prosōidĭ́ā)calq. Medieval Latin accentusbor. Middle French accentbor. Anglo-Norman accentbor. Middle English accent English accent Inherited from Middle English accent, from Medieval Latin accentus and Old French accent, acent, both from Latin accentus, past participle of accinō (“sing to, sing along”), from ad- + canō (“to sing”). The word accent had been borrowed into Old English already, but was lost and reborrowed in Middle English.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"California, like several other states, prohibits the use of diacritical marks or accents on official documents. That means no tilde (~), no accent grave (`), no umlaut (¨) and certainly no cedilla (¸)." — 2015 April 11, Tovin Lapan, “California birth certificates and accents: O’Connor alright, Ramón and José is not”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 04 Apr 2025:

"I know, sir, I am no flatterer: he that beguiled you in a plain accent was a plain knave; which for my part I will not be, though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to 't." — c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

"The tender Accents of a Woman’s Cry ¶ Will paſs unheard, will unregarded die;" — 1709, Mat[thew] Prior, “Celia to Damon”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 90:

"And he repeated her words with such assurance of accent, such boastful pretence of amazement, that she could not help replying with quickness …" — 1815, Jane Austen, Emma, volume I, chapter 15:

"Edmund White, John Mitzel, and David Goodstein, among others, have taken pains to distinguish two kinds of "liberation" envisioned by the members of our recently emerged movement: assimilation into the body politic — or a total restructuring of the sex-role system. The second path amounts to revolutionary subversion, but we hear little about it here, except in the accents of reproach: to the idea that gay people might be "pioneers in the area of relationship" and that "our greatest offering to civilization is the beauty of sexual freedom," McNaught responds: "Bunk!"" — 1981 December 27, Rudy Kikel, “Still Angry, After All These Years”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 23, page 10:

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