Solo with and solo without tilde

Question

what is the difference between solo and sólo? when do i use which?

Answer 1

The current policy of the RAE is that the adverb "sólo" (equivalent to "solamente") should be written with a tilde only when it might be confused with the adjective "solo". They are, of course, (as La Poetisa said) pronounced exactly the same.

This is the correct answer, even though I always use the tilde as an aid to help me as a beginner inlearning Spanish. - lorenzo9, Apr 7, 2011

Answer 2

The same difference as between alone and only.

Solo is alone

Sólo is only

Spelled the same - the accent shows you they are pronounced differently.

Take suspect, for example.

Like suspect - the potential bad guy and

suspect - to have thoughts about.

In English we rely on context to tell us which to use, in Spanish they make it much easier. They give us an accent mark so no guessing is involved.

Solo - alone

Sólo only

"...they are pronounced differently." Actually, they are pronounced exactly the same. The accent mark only distinguishes meaning in the written word. - Jeremias, Aug 9, 2010

Aside from Jeremias correction, what a 5 star answer... gets my vote for sure! - DJ_Huero, Apr 7, 2011

Answer 3

Like Mae West said ( I think it was Mae West)

Sólo quiero estar solo.

I only want to be alone.

Pues, fue Greta Garba. - Jeremias, Aug 9, 2010

Answer 4

Sólo- Only, just

No sólo me gusta escribir, sino también cantar. Not only do I like to write, but I also like to sing.

Dices que sólo es un juego, pero no lo es. You say it is just a game, but it is not.

Solo- Alone (masculine) Me siento solo. I feel alone.

Sola- Alone (feminine) Me gusta estar sola. I like to be alone.

Sólo and solo both sound the same. The tilde is to tell them apart. More examples include: tu and tú, te and té.

Answer 5

Sólo = only

Solo/a = alone

Answer 6

As I understand it you never write solo with a tilde. Never. The royal academy changed the rule last year.

http://www.elconfidencial.com/cultura/elimana-tildes-guion-entre-numeros-20101105-71295.html

Your understanding is wrong. It is optional, except in cases of ambiguity. - samdie, Apr 7, 2011