How to do an accent in word

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In Word and Outlook, you can use accent marks (or diacritical marks) in a document, such as an acute accent, cedilla, circumflex, diaeresis or umlaut, grave accent, or tilde.

  • For keyboard shortcuts in which you press two or more keys simultaneously, the keys to press are separated by a plus sign (+) in the tables. For example, to type a copyright symbol © , hold down the Alt key and type 0169.

  • For keyboard shortcuts in which you press one key immediately followed by another key, the keys to press are separated by a comma (,). For example, for è you would press Ctrl + ` , release and then type e.

  • To type a lowercase character by using a key combination that includes the SHIFT key, hold down the CTRL+SHIFT+symbol keys simultaneously, and then release them before you type the letter. For example, to type a ô, hold down CTRL, SHIFT and ^, release and type o.

To insert this

Press

à, è, ì, ò, ù,
À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù

CTRL+` (ACCENT GRAVE), the letter

á, é, í, ó, ú, ý
Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý

CTRL+’ (APOSTROPHE), the letter

â, ê, î, ô, û
Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û

CTRL+SHIFT+^ (CARET), the letter

ã, ñ, õ
Ã, Ñ, Õ

CTRL+SHIFT+~ (TILDE), the letter

ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ,
Ä, Ë, Ï, Ö, Ü, Ÿ

CTRL+SHIFT+: (COLON), the letter

å, Å

CTRL+SHIFT+@, a or A

æ, Æ

CTRL+SHIFT+&, a or A

œ, Œ

CTRL+SHIFT+&, o or O

ç, Ç

CTRL+, (COMMA), c or C

ð, Ð

CTRL+’ (APOSTROPHE), d or D

ø, Ø

CTRL+/, o or O

¿

ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+?

¡

ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+!

ß

CTRL+SHIFT+&, s

The Unicode character for the specified Unicode (hexadecimal) character code

The character code, ALT+X

For example, to insert the euro currency symbol Euro currency symbol, type 20AC, and then hold down the ALT key and press X.

The ANSI character for the specified ANSI (decimal) character code

ALT+the character code (on the numeric keypad)

Make sure that NUM LOCK is on before you type the character code.

For example, to insert the euro currency symbol, hold down the ALT key and press 0128 on the numeric keypad.

For more info on using Unicode and ASCII characters, see Insert ASCII or Unicode character codes.

To insert this macron character:

Ā

ā

Ē

ē

Ī

ī

Ō

ō

Ū

ū

Press this:

Alt+0256

Alt+0257

Alt+0274

Alt+0275

Alt+0298

Alt+0299

Alt+0332

Alt+0333

Alt+0362

Alt+0363

Notes: 

  • If you’re working on a laptop without a separate numeric keyboard, you can add most accented characters using the Insert > Symbol > More Symbols command in Word. For more info, see Insert a symbol in Word.

  • If you plan to type in other languages often you should consider switching your keyboard layout to that language. For more info see Switch between languages using the Language bar.

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Don’t know how to add that funny little mark above that letter? This wikiHow teaches you how to add accents in Word on the mobile and desktop app.

  1. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 1

    1

    Open Word. You’ll find this application either in the Start menu (Windows) or in the Applications folder in Finder (Mac).

    • You can either open a saved document or start a new one.
  2. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 2

    2

    Place your cursor where you want to insert the accent. If you have a letter typed out, you’ll want to select it so the accent will be added to your letter. For example, if you have Pokemon written, you’ll want to highlight the e.

  3. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 3

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    Click Insert. You’ll find this at the top of your screen or in the horizontal editing ribbon that’s above the editing space.

  4. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 4

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    Click Symbol. You’ll see this in the «Symbols» grouping next to «Equation» and a list of recently used symbols will drop-down.

  5. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 5

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    Click More Symbols (if you don’t see it already). If you are able to select your accent from the list of recently used symbols, you can skip this step.

    • If you can’t find your accent immediately, make sure you look through all the available fonts since different font sets generally have different symbols.
  6. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 6

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    Select an accent from the list. After you’ve located the accent you want to use (remember to look through the different fonts), double-click one to insert it. Since you have the e selected in Pokemon, the accent should be added over the e so your word looks like Pokémon.

  1. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 7

    1

    Open Word. You’ll find this application in the Start menu and can either open a saved document (File > Open) or start a new one (File > New).

  2. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 8

    2

    Place your cursor where you want to insert the accent. If you have a letter typed out, you’ll want to select it so the accent will be added to your letter. For example, if you have Pokemon written, you’ll want to highlight the e.

  3. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 9

    3

    Press the corresponding ALT code. To make the accent over the e in Pokemon, press and hold the ALT key as you type these numbers on the numeric keypad: 0232. The numeric keypad is the one on the right side of the keyboard. When you release the ALT key, you’ll see the accent appear over the e.

    • You can find a list of more accents on Microsoft’s support page.
    • If you don’t have a separate numeric number pad, you can use the method that uses the Insert menu.[1]
      You can also read How to Use a Symbol When You Have a Laptop.
  1. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 10

    1

    Open Word. You’ll find this application in the Start menu and can either open a saved document (File > Open) or start a new one (File > New).

  2. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 11

    2

    Place your cursor where you want to insert the accent. Since the accented letter will be inserted, you’ll want to highlight the letter you want to replace or have your cursor where you want the accented letter to appear. For example, if you intend to write Pokémon, you should either write Pokemon and highlight the e or type Pok.

  3. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 12

    3

    Press and hold a letter on your keyboard. If you’re writing Pokémon, you’ll need to press and hold the e key on the keyboard until a menu pops up on the screen.

  4. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 13

    4

    Click/press the correlating number key/use your arrow keys to select the accented character. You can either use your mouse to click the «e» that has the correct accent, you can press the number key on your keyboard that’s displayed with the accent, or you can use your arrow key to highlight the accented character you want to insert and press the Space bar.[2]

  1. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 14

    1

    Open Word. This app icon looks like a «W» next to two pieces of paper that you’ll find on one of your Home screens, in the app drawer, or by searching.

    • Gboard and the default iOS keyboard allow you to add accents to letters in almost any app, including Word.
  2. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 15

    2

    Press and hold a letter. Options for accents should pop out above the letter you’re holding.

  3. Image titled Do Accents in Word Step 16

    3

    Tap to select an accent. Once you make your selection, it will appear in the document.

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Article SummaryX

1. Open Word.

2. Press and hold a letter.

3. Tap to select an accent.

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 4,031 times.

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Easy ways to add accent marks to letters while typing


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  • Using Microsoft Word & Office Apps
  • |

  • Using the Windows Character Map
  • |

  • Typing Accents on a Mac (Accent Menu)
  • |

  • Typing Accents on a Mac (Dead Keys)
  • |

  • Copying and Pasting Accents
  • |

  • Learning Windows Alt Key Codes (ASCII Code)
  • |

  • Adding a Language Pack (Windows)
  • |

  • Reconfiguring Your Keyboard (Mac)
  • |

  • Shortcut Cheat Sheets
  • |

  • Q&A
  • |

  • Tips

When you’re typing in a language other than English on an English keyboard, it’s important to know how to type accented characters, tildes, and umlauts. Fortunately, typing non-English accented characters like é, í, and á is quick and easy, and there are many ways to do it. This wikiHow article will teach you simple ways to add accents to letters in any application on your PC or Mac.

Things You Should Know

  • PC users can access shortcut keys, pressing Ctrl + followed by the intended letter.
  • Mac users can hold down a letter key until a menu pops up with several accented options.
  • If you have a numeric pad on your keyboard, you can type codes to type accented letters and other punctuation marks unique to other languages.
  • If you plan on typing a lot in a different language, you may also download a language pack.
  1. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 1

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    Try shortcut keys. Shortcut keys work on most newer PCs that run Microsoft Word.[1]
    They tend to be faster and easier to remember than using ASCII Code to create accents.

  2. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 2

    2

    Press Control + `, then the letter to add a grave accent. Hold the Control key down, then tap the accent key near the top left corner of your keypad. Release the keys. Then select the desired letter to accent.

    • The accent key is usually on the same key as the ~. It is not the apostrophe key.

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  3. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 3

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    Press Control + ‘, then the letter to add an acute accent. Hold Control, then tap the apostrophe key. You can find the apostrophe next to the enter key. Release the keys. Then select the desired letter to accent.

  4. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 4

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    Press Control, then Shift, then 6, then the letter to add a circumflex accent. Hold down the Control and Shift keys then tap the 6 key. Release the keys and select the desired letter. The 6 key is used because of the ^ character found above the number.

  5. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 5

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    Press Shift + Control + ~, then the letter to add a tilde accent. You will find the tilde is the same key used to make the grave accent. Be sure to hold down the Shift key or you will end up with a grave accent instead. Release the keys, then select the desired letter.

  6. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 6

    6

    Press Shift + Control + :, then the letter to add an umlaut accent. The colon key can be found next to the apostrophe key. You must hold down the Shift key to select the colon as opposed to the semicolon. Release the keys. Now select the letter.

  7. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 7

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    Add accents in the same way for uppercase accented letters. However, this time, simply type the shift key straight after typing the Control + (choice), then type the letter. It will automatically capitalize.

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  1. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 8

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    Open the Windows Start menu. Using the Character Map is most convenient for users who need to type accented letters outside of Microsoft Office. Open the Start menu in the bottom-left corner of your screen to get started.

  2. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 9

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    Search «character map». Type «character map» into the available search field and click on the result.

  3. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 10

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    Click on the accented letter you need. Search through the Character Map for the accented letters. The map includes all kinds of special characters, including those needed to type in a variety of languages.

    • Clicking on your desired letter will pull up an enlarged version.
  4. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 11

    4

    Click Select. Use the Select button to place the accented character in the field at the bottom of the Character Map.

  5. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 12

    5

    Click Copy. With the accented character now in the copy field, you may click the Copy button to then paste it elsewhere.[2]

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  1. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 13

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    Hold down a letter on your keyboard. In most apps on your Mac, you can hold down a letter on your keyboard to pull up a menu of accented versions of that same letter.

    • Not all apps support the Accent Menu.
    • This same method works across all Apple devices, including iPads and iPhones.[3]
  2. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 14

    2

    Select the appropriate accented letter from the pop-up menu. Be aware of small variations between accents. If no menu appears, no accented versions exist of that letter.

    • You can select by clicking on the letter, or pressing the corresponding number on your keyboard.
      • You may also use the arrow keys to scroll through the options, and the Space bar to select one.
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  1. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 15

    1

    Use shortcut keys to create accents while typing on your Mac. This method will work for documents in Pages as well as your work on the web. The Option key will always be held down first, and then you will type a combination of two other keys to specify the type of accent and the letter.[4]

  2. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 16

    2

    Press Option + `, then the letter to make grave accents. Hold down Option, then press `. Release the keys. You will see a highlighted yellow accent on your page. Then press the letter you wish to accent. This accent can be made with any vowel.

    • Press the Shift key first to make your accented letters uppercase. If the letter starts a sentence, it will automatically be capitalized.
  3. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 17

    3

    Press Option + E, then the letter to create acute accents. Press and hold both keys down, then release them. Once you see the yellow highlighted acute accent, you can select the letter. This accent can be made over any vowel.

  4. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 18

    4

    Press Option + I, then the letter to create circumflex accents. Hold both keys down, then release them and select the desired letter. These accents can also be used over any vowel.

  5. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 19

    5

    Press Option + N, then the letter to type tilde accents. Hold down both keys, then release them and type your desired letter. This accent can only be used over the letters A, N, and O.

  6. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 20

    6

    Press Option + U, then the letter to make the umlaut accent. Hold down both keys, then Release them. Now, you can select the desired letter.

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  1. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 21

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    Know your accents first. You always want to make sure you are putting the proper accent over the word, as sometimes an alternate accent can give some words an entirely different meaning. These are some of the common accents used by most European languages:

    • Grave accents – à, è, ì, ò, ù
    • Acute accents – á, é, í, ó, ú, ý
    • Circumflex accents – â, ê, î, ô, û
    • Tilde accents – ñ, õ, ã
    • Umlaut accents – ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ
  2. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 22

    2

    Find an example of the needed letter or word. You can pull text from an existing text file, the character map or viewer utility on your computer, or by searching online. If you search a word that normally uses the accent on your search engine, you should be able to quickly copy a sample of the entire word.

  3. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 23

    3

    Highlight the needed letter or word. Right-click on your PC to copy the text. Hit Command + C to copy if you are using a Mac.

  4. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 24

    4

    Paste individual accents into your text. If you are using a Mac, you can select the «paste and match style» option by right-clicking if you want the accent or accented word to match the rest of your text. If you are using a PC, just highlight the word once you’ve pasted it and change the font so it matches the rest of your document.

    • If you find this method to be effective, consider creating a separate document with all the accents you plan on using. That way, you can simply copy and paste from the document instead of finding the letter again elsewhere.
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  1. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 25

    1

    Use ALT key codes.[5]
    To use these codes on your keyboard, you must have a separate numeric keypad on the right-hand side of your keyboard. [6]
    ASCII codes will work for Microsoft Office. They may not work with all Windows programs, so you may have to check the programs individually to see if they are compatible.

  2. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 26

    2

    Hold down the Alt key.[7]
    While there are many numeric codes to remember, the one thing you need to do for all of the codes is to first hold the Alt key. Continue to hold the key while you type the necessary numeric code.

  3. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 27

    3

    Type the corresponding accent code on the numeric keypad.

    1. Type the following codes to get grave accents:
    • à = 0224; À = 0192
    • è = 0232; È = 0200
    • ì = 0236; Ì = 0204
    • ò = 0242; Ò = 0210
    • ù = 0249; Ù = 0217
    1. Type the following codes to get acute accents:
    • á = 0225; Á = 0193
    • é = 0233; É = 0201
    • í = 0237; Í = 0205
    • ó = 0243; Ó = 0211
    • ú = 0250; Ú = 0218
    • ý = 0253; Ý = 0221
    1. Type the following codes to get circumflex accents:
    • â = 0226; Â = 0194
    • ê = 0234; Ê = 0202
    • î = 0238; Î = 0206
    • ô = 0244; Ô = 0212
    • û = 0251; Û = 0219
    1. Type the following codes to get tilde accents:
    • ã = 0227; Ã = 0195
    • ñ = 0241; Ñ = 0209
    • õ = 0245; Õ = 0213
    1. Type the following codes to get umlaut accents:
    • ä = 0228; Ä = 0196
    • ë = 0235; Ë = 0203
    • ï = 0239; Ï = 0207
    • ö = 0246; Ö = 0214
    • ü = 0252; Ü = 0220
    • ÿ = 0255; Ÿ = 0159
  4. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 28

    4

    Release the Alt key. The accent will appear above the corresponding letter as shown. Learning the accent codes can take some practice as there are many to remember. You can make a cheat sheet to keep by your computer so you can reference it quickly if you need to use accents often. If you use accents frequently, you may consider reconfiguring your keyboard to better suit your typing needs.

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  1. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 29

    1

    Add a language to your PC. Before reconfiguring your keyboard, you first need to add another display language to your PC. You can do so by visiting the Region and Language section under Time and Language in your PC’s Settings.

  2. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 30

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    Add a keyboard for the relevant language. From that same section of your PC’s Settings, click on the language that you have added. Then, click Options to pull up all possible keyboards for that language.

  3. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 31

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    Browse the available options. Select the keyboard input that works best for your intended usage.

  4. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 32

    4

    Start typing with your new keyboard input. Because you still have the same physical display in front of you, there can be a bit of a learning curve to using these new inputs. Start typing so you can get comfortable with where to find the accented characters.

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  1. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 33

    1

    Open “System Settings”. You can access System Settings hrough the Launchpad or the Applications folder.

    • Older versions of the macOS refer to these as your «System Preferences».
  2. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 34

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    Select «Keyboard» from the sidebar. You may need to scroll down to find it.

  3. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 35

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    Click «Edit» under «Text Input» on the right.

  4. Image titled Put Accents on Letters Step 36

    4

    Click the Add button and select a language. The button is represented by a plus sign. When you find the language you would like to add, click Add to confirm.

    • You may select multiple languages.
    • Select «Show input menu in menu bar» to be able to click-select which keyboard you want to use.
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Shortcut Cheat Sheets

Add New Question

  • Question

    How can I do this using an iPad? I do not see an alt or control key.

    Community Answer

    On the iPhone or iPad, simply hold down the letter you would like to add the accent to and a row of accented versions should appear for you to choose from.

  • Question

    What key do I type for @?

    Community Answer

    Hit «SHIFT 2».

  • Question

    I am on Windows and I can’t find the Num Lock key. I’ve tried looking for it multiple times. Is there another way?

    Donagan

    The typical keyboard contains the Num Lock key in the upper area of the number pad (usually on the right side of the keyboard).

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  • There are keyboards with accented letters already forming part of the keys. These may be useful investments if you need to add accents to letters frequently.

  • Some software programs can turn some keys into accented letters, or provide a virtual keyboard which you can simply point on and click for the desired letter.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

If you’re typing in Windows and you need to add an accent to a letter, search online to find the ASCII code, or ALT key code, for that symbol. Once you know the numeric code, hold down the ALT key and type in the numbers. ASCII codes are usually 4 digits. There are different codes for uppercase and lowercase letters. If you’re typing on a Mac, hold down the Option key, then type in the character for the symbol, followed by the letter. You can find a list of these characters online as well. Keep reading to learn how to reconfigure your keyboard for characters you use often!

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Simple ways to create accents

Updated on November 26, 2022

What to Know

  • In Microsoft Word, select Insert tab > Symbol > More Symbols > choose accent > Insert > Close.
  • You can also add accents in Word using keyboard shortcuts.
  • On a Mac, hold down key for letter you want to accent. A small window will appear. Choose corresponding number.

This article explains how to add accents in Microsoft Word using the menu bar or keyboard shortcuts. It also covers how to add accents if you’re using a Mac.

How to Add Accents in Word Using the Menu Bar

It’s easy to add accents in Word using the menu bar. Here’s how to do it in Word 2016, which comes with a Microsoft 365 subscription. If you have an older version of Word, that’s fine too; the process is similar for Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word 2007.

If you are using an unusual font in Word, you may not be able to add an accent using that particular font. In that case, your best bet is to switch to one of the standard fonts.

  1. Open Microsoft Word.

  2. Select the Insert tab on the menu bar.

  3. Select the Symbol option, which you’ll find on the right-hand side of your screen next to the Omega symbol (Ω).

  4. A drop-down menu will appear. Select More Symbols.

  5. The Symbols dialog box will open. If you need one of the more common accents, you should see it as you scroll down the list of letters.

    If you don’t immediately see the accent you want, make sure you’re viewing the Symbols tab and the Font drop-down menu is set to Normal Text.

  6. Choose the accent you want, select the Insert button, then select Close.

    To access an even larger library of accents, select Latin Extended-A in the Subset drop-down menu at the right-hand side of your screen.

  7. You’re done!

How to Add Accents in Word Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Of course, using the menu isn’t the only way to add accents in Word. Some people prefer the convenience of a handy keyboard shortcut. Here’s how to put an accent over a letter using a keyboard shortcut.

Getty Images 

Microsoft Word allows you to use keyboard shortcuts you create accents as you’re typing, which is often a lot faster than digging into the menu.

  • If you need to call up the «á» character featuring an acute accent, for example, all you need to do is press Ctrl+’ (apostrophe), lift your fingers from the keys, then quickly press the A key. You can do the same thing to create an «ù,» too; press Ctrl+’ (apostrophe), release your fingers, then quickly press the U key.
  • To flip it around and create an accent grave on a character, say for the letter «é,» all you have to do is press Ctrl+`(accent grave). The same process is repeatable for any letter you need. To add an accent to an uppercase letter, just enable caps lock on your keyboard before using the shortcut.

Once you’ve gotten the knack for this, you’ll realize these shortcuts follow a pattern and you can easily adapt them on the fly to create the accent you want. Microsoft has a handy table showing some of the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts.

These keyboard shortcuts are best for Windows users. If you’re on a Mac, there’s an even simpler way to get it done.

How to Add Accents in Word on a Mac

If you’re using a Mac, you have a very straightforward option for creating accents using the keyboard.

  1. Hold down the key for the letter you want to have an accent. For example, press and hold down the letter e if you want to put an acute accent on it, as in the word «café.»

  2. A small window will appear above the text you’re typing. You’ll notice each accent has a number.

  3. Choose the number corresponding to the accent you want and it will be inserted into your text.

Now that you know how to add accents in Word, you’ll be über talented at including them anytime you like.

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An Accent is a diacritical mark used to indicate stress or placed below or above a letter (or a vowel) to indicate a special pronunciation.

Due to improved keyboard controls on devices, typing or putting accents on letters (accented letters) becomes very easy. Whether you are using a desktop (be it Windows or Mac), laptop, or even on mobile devices, you can easily type accents on letters with some cool tricks and techniques you’ll learn about in this article.

There are some specialized keyboards that allow you to type these accented letters easily. Thus, if you don’t use these special Accent keyboards, you’ll need some of the techniques in this article to be able to type any letter with an accent or symbol into your Work on any device.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

There are several approaches to typing or inserting accented letters into Microsoft Windows.

Since these characters are not readily available on the keyboard, using their alt codes is the simplest way to type them on Windows.

In this section, I’ll show you how to type accents in windows using the characters’ alt codes.

Using the Letters with Accents Alt Code

Each letter with an accent has an alt code with which you can use to type it anywhere in Windows, whether in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, in your Browser, and so on. You’ll learn the alt code to all the accented characters in a moment. For now, let’s look at the steps.

To type letters with accents on top, obey the following instruction:

  • First of all, know the alt code of the letter with accent you want to type. The alt codes are listed just below these instructions.
  • Turn on your Num Lock. Press Fn+NmLk to turn on Num Lock on laptops without the numeric keypad.
  • Hold down the Alt key on your keyboard.
  • Whilst still holding on to the Alt key, press the character’s alt code.
  • For example, to type e with an acute accent (é), press and hold the Alt key, then type the alt code 0233 on the numeric keypad.
  • Now release the Alt key.

You should see the accented letter inserted as soon as you release the Alt key.

Below are the alt codes for the various accented letters.

Letters with Acute accents Alt Codes

Description Symbol Alt Codes
A acute – Uppercase Á Alt 0193
a acute – Lowercase á Alt 0225
E acute – Uppercase É Alt 0201
e acute – Lowercase é Alt 0233
I acute – Uppercase Í Alt 0205
i acute – Lowercase í Alt 0237
O acute – Uppercase Ó Alt 0211
o acute – Lowercase ó Alt 0243
U acute – Uppercase Ú Alt 0218
u acute – Lowercase ú Alt 0250
Y acute – Uppercase Ý Alt 0221
y acute – Lowercase ý Alt 0253

Letters with Grave accents Alt Codes

Description Symbol Alt Codes
A grave – Uppercase À Alt 0192
a grave – Lowercase à Alt 0224
E grave – Uppercase È Alt 0200
e grave – Lowercase è Alt 0232
I grave – Uppercase Ì Alt 0204
i grave – Lowercase ì Alt 0236
O grave – Uppercase Ò Alt 0210
o grave – Lowercase ò Alt 0242
U grave – Uppercase Ù Alt 0217
u grave – Lowercase ù Alt 0249

Letters with Circumflex accents Alt Codes

Description Symbol Alt Codes
A circumflex – Uppercase  Alt 0194
a circumflex – Lowercase â Alt 0226
E circumflex – Uppercase Ê Alt 0202
e circumflex – Lowercase ê Alt 0234
I circumflex – Uppercase Î Alt 0206
i circumflex – Lowercase î Alt 0238
O circumflex – Uppercase Ô Alt 0212
o circumflex – Lowercase ô Alt 0244
U circumflex – Uppercase Û Alt 0219
u circumflex – Lowercase û Alt 0251

Letters with Tilde accents Alt Codes

Description Symbol Alt Codes
A tilde – Uppercase à Alt 0195
a tilde – Lowercase ã Alt 0227
N tilde – Uppercase Ñ Alt 165
n tilde – Lowercase ñ Alt 164
O tilde – Uppercase Õ Alt 0213
o tilde – Lowercase õ Alt 0245

Letters with Umlaut Accents Alt Codes

Description Symbol Alt Codes
A umlaut – Uppercase Ä Alt 0196
a umlaut – Lowercase ä Alt 0228
E umlaut – Uppercase Ë Alt 0203
e umlaut – Lowercase ë Alt 0235
I umlaut – Uppercase Ï Alt 0207
i umlaut – Lowercase ï Alt 0239
O umlaut – Uppercase Ö Alt 0214
o umlaut – Lowercase ö Alt 0246
U umlaut – Uppercase Ü Alt 0220
u umlaut – Lowercase ü Alt 0252
Y umlaut – Uppercase Ÿ Alt 0159
y umlaut – Lowercase ÿ Alt 0255

Note: Using the alt code approach means that you have a lot to learn. And as we all know, learning these alt codes will take a lot of practice as there are many alt codes to remember. However, you can create a cheat sheet for quick reference if you happen to type accents frequently. If you are using any of the Microsoft Office Apps like Word or Excel, you can reconfigure some hotkeys to better suit your typing needs – We’ll discuss that later in this article.

How to type Accents on Mac

Typing accents on Mac is a lot easier with shortcuts. There are some combinations of keys for typing any accented letter on Mac. Let’s take a look at how to use each of these shortcuts.

Typing Letters with grave accents on Mac

Obey the following steps to type any letter with the grave accent mark on top of it:

  • First of all, press [Option]+[`] on your keyboard.
  • Then press the letter to be accented.

For example, to type è (e with the grave accent), press and hold [OPTION], then press the [`] grave accent key. Release the two keys and then type [e]. The ‘e’ with grave should be inserted into your work. The same technique can be used to type à, ì, ò and ù.

The [`] mark is called the grave accent and the key for typing this mark is the key on top of the [Tab] key and before the [1] key.

grave accent key on Mac

Letters with grave accent shortcuts are listed in the table below:

Symbol Description Shortcut on Mac
à a grave [OPTION]+[`] then a
è e grave [OPTION]+[`] then e
ì i grave [OPTION]+[`] then i
ò o grave [OPTION]+[`] then o
ù u grave [OPTION]+[`] then u

Typing Letters with acute accents on Mac

Obey the following steps to type any letter with the acute accent mark on top of it:

  • First of all, press [Option]+[e] on your keyboard.
  • Then press the letter to be accented.

For example, to type é (e with the acute accent), press and hold OPTION, then press the e key. Release the two keys and then type e. The letter é should be inserted for you. The same technique can be used to type á, í, í, ó, ú and ý.

Letters with acute accent shortcuts are listed in the table below:

Symbol Description Shortcut on Mac
á a acute [OPTION]+[e] then a
é e acute [OPTION]+[e] then e
í i acute [OPTION]+[e]  then i
ó o acute [OPTION]+[e] then o
ú u acute [OPTION]+[e] then u
ý y acute [OPTION]+[e] then y

Typing Letters with circumflex accents on Mac

Obey the following steps to type any letter with the circumflex accent mark on top of it:

  • First of all, press [Option]+[i] on your keyboard.
  • Then press the letter to be accented.

For example, to type ê (e with the circumflex accent), press and hold the [OPTION] key, then press the [i] key. Release the two keys and then type e. The letter ê should be inserted into your work. The same technique can be used to type â, î, ô and û.

Letters with circumflex accent shortcuts are listed in the table below:

Symbol Description Shortcut on Mac
â a circumflex [OPTION]+[i] then a
ê e circumflex [OPTION]+[i] then e
î i circumflex [OPTION]+[i] then i
ô o circumflex [OPTION]+[i] then o
û u circumflex [OPTION]+[i] then u

Typing Letters with the tilde accents on Mac

Obey the following steps to type any letter with the tilde accent mark on top of it:

  • First of all, press [Option]+[n] on your keyboard.
  • Then press the letter to be accented.

For example, to type ã (a with the tilde accent), press and hold the [OPTION] key, then press the [n] key. Release the two keys and then type a. The letter ã should be inserted into your work. The same technique can be used to type ñ and õ.

Letters with tilde accent shortcuts for Mac are listed in the table below:

Symbol Description Shortcut on Mac
ã a tilde [OPTION]+[n] then a
ñ n tilde [OPTION]+[n] then n
õ o tilde [OPTION]+[n] then o

Letters with umlaut accents on Mac

Obey the following steps to type any letter with the umlaut accent mark on top of it:

  • First of all, press [Option]+[u] on your keyboard.
  • Then press the letter to be accented.

For example, to type ë (e with the umlaut accent), press and hold the [OPTION] key, then press the [u] key. Release the two keys and then type e. The letter ë should be inserted into your work. The same technique can be used to type ä, ï, ö, ü and ÿ.

Letters with umlaut accent shortcuts are listed in the table below:

Symbol Description Shortcut on Mac
ä a umlaut [OPTION]+[u] then a
ë e umlaut [OPTION]+[u] then e
ï i umlaut [OPTION]+[u] then i
ö o umlaut [OPTION]+[u] then o
ü u umlaut [OPTION]+[u] then u
ÿ y umlaut [OPTION]+[u] then y

These are the easy ways to type letters with accents on top of them on Mac.

How to Type Accents on Letters in Word

In this section, we’ll discuss the various options you can use to type accents in Microsoft Word.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Keyboard shortcuts for typing accents in Word

If you are using Microsoft Word for typing your projects which requires you to frequently type accented letters, you’ll be happy to learn that Word has made typing accents very easy with some combinations of keys.

For example, to type é ( e with acute accent) in Word, press Ctrl+’ (apostrophe), then hit on the letter [e].

This means that Ctrl+’ then [a] gives you á, Ctrl+’ then [u] gives you ú, and so on.

Below is a table of shortcut keys to type accents in Word:

Accented Letters Shortcut Key in MS Word
à, è, ì, ò, ù, À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù Ctrl+` (accent grave), the letter
á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý Ctrl+’ (apostrophe), the letter
â, ê, î, ô, û, Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û Ctrl+Shift+^ (caret), the letter
ã, ñ, õ, Ã, Ñ, Õ Ctrl+Shift+~ (tilde), the letter
ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ, Ä, Ë, Ï, Ö, Ü, Ÿ Ctrl+Shift+: (colon), the letter
å, Å Ctrl+Shift+@ (At), a or A

Typing Letters with accents in Word using Alt Codes

One of the easiest ways you can get any accented letter in Word is to use the character’s alt code. All you have to do is to key in the alt code whilst you press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard.

Below are the steps to type any accented letter in Word using the character’s Alt code:

  • First of all, identify the alt code of the accented letter you wish to type. In this example, we will type the letter e with an acute accent (é). The Alt code for this letter is 130.

Note: Refer to the first section of this article for a list of alt codes for all the accented letters.

  • Press and hold the Alt key and type the alt code of the letter you wish to type. In this example, we are typing é whose alt code is 130. Therefore, whilst holding down the Alt key, press 130 on the numeric keypad at the right-hand side of your keyboard.

This is how you may type accents into Microsoft Word with the help of character codes.

Insert Accents using the Insert symbol’s dialog

This particular method involves a little bit of workaround. But it’s fairly simple. It doesn’t involve using the keyboard though.

And once you get the accented you want into your document; you can always copy and paste it again as and when the need arises.

Obey the following instructions to insert accents in Word using the insert symbol dialog.

  • On the Insert tab, click the Symbol button and choose More Symbols…
Go to Symbols>More Symbols

These few clicks will display the Symbol dialog box. Now it’s time to look for the symbol you want to insert.

The Symbol's dialog boxs
  • Locate the Symbol

To easily find all the accents in the dialog box, look at the bottom right area of the Symbol dialog box and select Unicode (hex) in the from: drop-down. Then look again at the top right area of the dialog and select Latin-1 Supplement in the Subset: drop-down.

This will filter out all the letters with accents.

how to insert accents in Word
  • Select the symbol, then click Insert. Alternatively, double-click on your choice to insert it into your document.
  • After inserting, close the Symbol dialog box by clicking on the Cancel button.

This is how you may insert letters with accents in Word using the insert symbol dialog.

How to Type Accents in Excel

There are two simple ways to type accents in Excel. The use of character codes and using the insert symbol’s dialog box.

In this section, I’ll go through these two options one after the other.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Using the insert Symbol’s dialog

The following steps will show you how to insert letters with accents in Excel using the insert symbol’s dialog box.

  • Select the cell that will contain the accented letter you wish to insert. If you want the accented letter to come before or after a particular character in a cell, place the insertion pointer right there.
  • Click on the Insert tab.
Excel insert tab to get accents on the Symbols dialog
  • Click on the Symbols drop down and select Symbol to display the Symbol’s dialog box.
Go to Symbols>More Symbols for Excel
  • The Symbols dialog box will appear.
  • From this Symbol dialog box, search for the letter with an accent you want and double click it to insert. Alternatively, just select and click on the Insert button at the bottom of the dialog.
typing accents in Excel
  • Click on the Cancel button to close the dialog.

This is how you may use the Symbol’s dialog box to insert letters with accents in Excel.

Using alt codes to type accents in Excel

Another easy way to type letters with accents in Excel is to use alt codes. This method will work for you if you are using a Windows PC. If it looks like you, just obey the instructions below:

  • First of all, identify the alt code of the accented letter you wish to type. In this example, we will type the letter e with an acute accent (é). The Alt code for this letter is 130.

Note: Refer to the first section of this article for list of alt codes for all the accented letters.

  • Now, Select the cell that will contain the letter with an accent.
  • Press and hold the Alt key and type the alt code of the accented letter. In this example, we are typing é whose alt code is 130. Therefore, whilst holding down the Alt key, press 130 on the numeric keypad at the right-hand side of your keyboard.
  • After typing the code, release the alt key.

This is how you may type accents in Microsoft Excel using alt codes.

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