An acute accent is a diacritical mark that appears as a slanted line (´) placed above a vowel. It is commonly used in various languages, including Spanish, French, and Portuguese, to indicate a specific pronunciation or stress on that vowel. For example, in Spanish, the word "café" uses an acute accent to show that the last syllable is stressed. In addition to indicating stress, the acute accent can also change the meaning of words. For instance, in French, "a" (has) and "à" (to) are distinguished by the presence of the accent. Understanding acute accents is essential for proper pronunciation and comprehension in languages that utilize them.