Acento vs. Assento: Accent or Seat?
Acento is a linguistic or pronunciation feature; assento is a place to sit.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Acento refers to a written accent mark or to a way of pronouncing a language associated with a region or speaker. In a spelling lesson, acento agudo and acento circunflexo name written marks; sotaque is also a common word for a regional accent in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.
Use acento for marks and pronunciation
The c spelling connects with the word accented. If the topic is pronunciation or a mark over a letter, use acento.
A palavra avó tem acento agudo.
The word avó has an acute accent.
Ela fala português com um sotaque mineiro.
She speaks Portuguese with a Minas Gerais accent.
Qual é a sílaba tônica desta palavra?
Which syllable is stressed in this word?
Use assento for a seat
Assento with double s means a seat or place to sit. It can also refer to a record or entry in a register, but the everyday meaning is a chair, seat, or bus/airplane place. The related verb sentar helps signal the topic.
Look at the sentence: if someone needs to sit or is choosing a place, write assento. If the sentence is about pronunciation or spelling, write acento.
Este assento está reservado.
This seat is reserved.
O assento do ônibus é confortável.
The bus seat is comfortable.
Pode escolher um assento perto da janela.
You can choose a seat near the window.
Put it into practice
Acento concerns pronunciation or accent marks; assento is a seat or, in formal contexts, a record.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “The bus seat is comfortable”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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