How to Type Accent Letters on Keyboard with ALT Codes
Typing letters with accents can be confusing when the character you need does not appear directly on your keyboard. Whether you need an é for French, an á for Spanish, an ñ for Spanish, an ö for German, or less common accented letters used in European and international languages, there are several easy ways to enter them.
At Letter Accents, you can find accented letters from A to Z, copy and paste them instantly, look up their keyboard shortcuts, and find the corresponding Windows ALT codes. The site also explains how each character is used across different languages and how to type it on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android.
If you already know which character you need, you can also go directly to the
ALT Codes Keyboard
reference to find keyboard codes for accented letters and special characters.
What Are Accent Letters?
Accent letters are letters that include an additional mark, such as an acute accent, grave accent, circumflex, tilde, umlaut, caron, cedilla or ring. These marks can change pronunciation, distinguish words, or form part of a language’s standard alphabet.
Common examples include:
- á, à, â, ä and ã
- é, è, ê and ë
- í, ì, î and ï
- ó, ò, ô, ö and õ
- ú, ù, û and ü
- ñ, ç, å, š and ž
Some languages use only a small number of accented characters, while others use many. LetterAccents.com provides dedicated guides for each letter so you can see all available variants and their keyboard codes in one place.
How to Type Accent Letters with ALT Codes on Windows
One of the most reliable ways to type accented letters on Windows is to use an ALT code. ALT codes allow you to enter a character by holding the Alt key and typing a number on the numeric keypad.
For example:
- Alt + 0225 = á
- Alt + 0233 = é
- Alt + 0237 = í
- Alt + 0243 = ó
- Alt + 0250 = ú
- Alt + 0241 = ñ
- Alt + 0231 = ç
Make sure Num Lock is turned on and use the numeric keypad rather than the number row at the top of the keyboard. Hold down Alt, enter the code, and then release Alt.
For a complete reference, see the
ALT codes keyboard list.
How to Type Accented Letters in Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word gives you several alternatives to traditional ALT codes. One of the easiest is to use Word’s built-in accent shortcuts.
For an acute accent, press Ctrl + ‘, release the keys, and then type the letter. For example:
- Ctrl + ‘ followed by e = é
- Ctrl + ‘ followed by a = á
- Ctrl + ‘ followed by i = í
- Ctrl + ‘ followed by o = ó
- Ctrl + ‘ followed by u = ú
Word also supports Unicode input. For example, type 00E9 and then press Alt + X to convert it into é.
How to Type Accent Letters on a Mac
On a Mac, accented letters are usually entered with the Option key or by holding down a letter.
For example:
- Option + e, then e = é
- Option + e, then a = á
- Option + `, then e = è
- Option + i, then e = ê
- Option + u, then e = ë
- Option + n, then n = ñ
On newer versions of macOS, you can also press and hold a letter such as e. A small menu appears containing accented versions of that letter. Select the character you want using the number shown or your mouse.
How to Type Accents on iPhone and iPad
Typing accent letters on an iPhone or iPad is very simple. Press and hold the base letter on the on-screen keyboard.
For example, press and hold e and you will normally see choices including:
é è ê ë ē ė ę
Slide your finger to the character you want and release.
The same method works for letters such as a, i, o, u, n, c and many others.
How to Type Accent Letters on Android
Most Android keyboards, including Gboard and SwiftKey, use the same press-and-hold method. Hold the letter you want and choose the accented variant from the pop-up menu.
For example, holding o may give you options such as ó, ò, ô, ö, õ and ø.
How to Copy and Paste Accent Letters
If you do not want to memorize ALT codes or keyboard shortcuts, the easiest method is often simply to copy and paste the character you need.
On Letter Accents, you can find accented letters grouped by letter. Click the character you want, copy it to your clipboard, and paste it into Word, Google Docs, an email, a website, a form, social media, or almost any other application.
For example, if you need an
E with accent,
you can choose from é, è, ê, ë and many other variants. If you need a
D with accent copy and paste
character, the D page includes forms such as ď, ḋ and other accented D variants.
Accent Letters A–Z
Every letter has its own guide with copy-and-paste characters, ALT codes, keyboard instructions and language information:
A with accent ·
B with accent ·
C with accent ·
D with accent copy and paste ·
E with accent ·
F with accent ·
G with accent ·
H with accent ·
I with accent ·
J with accent ·
K with accent ·
L with accent ·
M with accent ·
N with accent ·
O with accent ·
P with accent ·
Q with accent ·
R with accent ·
S with accent ·
T with accent ·
U with accent ·
V with accent ·
W with accent ·
X with accent ·
Y with accent ·
Z with accent.
Common Accent Marks and What They Mean
Acute Accent
The acute accent slopes upward from left to right and appears in characters such as á, é, í, ó and ú. It is particularly common in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Hungarian and several other languages.
Grave Accent
The grave accent slopes in the opposite direction and appears in characters such as à, è, ì, ò and ù. It is common in French and Italian and also appears in several other languages.
Circumflex
The circumflex looks like a small roof over a letter: â, ê, î, ô and û. It is widely associated with French but is used elsewhere as well.
Umlaut or Diaeresis
Two dots over a letter appear in characters such as ä, ë, ï, ö and ü. In German the mark is generally called an umlaut, while in other linguistic contexts the same visual mark can function as a diaeresis.
Tilde
The tilde appears in characters such as ñ and ã. The Spanish ñ is one of the best-known examples.
Cedilla
The cedilla appears beneath a character, most famously in ç. You can find the character, keyboard instructions and ALT codes on the
C with accent page.
How to Choose the Right Accent Character
It is important to use the correct accented character rather than simply choosing one that looks similar. Different accents may represent different sounds or entirely different letters.
For instance, é and è are not interchangeable in French. Likewise, ñ is a separate letter in Spanish, while n without the tilde represents a different sound.
The individual letter pages on LetterAccents.com explain which languages use each character, making it easier to choose the right one.
Using Accent Letters in HTML and Websites
Modern websites normally support Unicode directly, which means you can often paste an accented character directly into your HTML.
However, HTML entities can also be used. For example:
- é = é
- á = á
- ñ = ñ
- ç = ç
The individual LetterAccents.com pages also provide Unicode, HTML, CSS and JavaScript codes for many characters.
Accent Letters and Cursive Writing
Accent marks are primarily a feature of written language and typography, but many people who are looking up letter forms also want to know how those letters appear in handwriting.
LetterAccents.com therefore also provides a complete
cursive alphabet
and a printable
Cursive Alphabet Chart.
You can learn individual letters one at a time, including
A in cursive,
B in cursive,
C in cursive,
D in cursive,
E in cursive,
F in cursive,
G in cursive,
H in cursive,
I in cursive,
J in cursive,
K in cursive,
L in cursive,
M in cursive,
N in cursive,
O in cursive,
P in cursive,
Q in cursive,
R in cursive,
S in cursive,
T in cursive,
U in cursive,
V in cursive,
W in cursive,
X in cursive,
Y in cursive
and
Z in cursive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to type accented letters?
If you type accented letters regularly, keyboard shortcuts are usually fastest. Windows users can learn common ALT codes, while Mac users can use Option-key combinations. On phones and tablets, simply press and hold the base letter.
What if I only need an accented letter occasionally?
Copy and paste is often the easiest option. Visit
Letter Accents,
select the letter you need and copy the exact character.
How do I type é on Windows?
With Num Lock enabled, hold Alt and type 0233 on the numeric keypad. You can also use Microsoft Word’s Ctrl + apostrophe shortcut.
How do I type é on a Mac?
Press Option + e, release the keys, and then press e. You can also hold the e key until the accent menu appears.
How do I type ñ?
On Windows, one common ALT code is Alt + 0241 for lowercase ñ. On Mac, press Option + n and then n. On iPhone, iPad and Android, hold down the n key and select ñ.
Where can I find D with accent copy and paste characters?
Use the
D with accent copy and paste
page to find D variants together with keyboard instructions, ALT codes and technical character codes.
About LetterAccents.com
LetterAccents.com is a free online reference for anyone who needs to find, type, copy or understand letters with accents and other special letter forms. The site brings together accented characters from A to Z, Windows ALT codes, Mac keyboard shortcuts, Unicode and HTML codes, language information, and simple one-click copy-and-paste tools.
LetterAccents.com is designed for students, writers, teachers, translators, language learners, developers and anyone working with international text. Instead of searching through character maps or memorizing dozens of shortcuts, users can open the page for the letter they need and see its accented forms, keyboard methods and technical codes in one place.
The site also includes handwriting resources, including the
cursive alphabet,
individual cursive letter guides and a
printable cursive alphabet chart.
Together, these resources make LetterAccents.com a practical reference for both digital typing and handwriting.
Final Tip
If you regularly type in several languages, learning a few common shortcuts can save time. But for uncommon characters, the simplest solution is often to use the
Letter Accents
A–Z character guides, click the exact letter you need and paste it wherever you are writing.
