How do I type accents for languages?
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PC, Windows 7
There are a number of choices - quick list for Windows, setting up the International keyboard, setting up the keyboard for a specific language.
- Quick Accents for Windows – no changing to Int’l keyboard or specific language keyboard:
The default keystrokes for accented characters are as follows:
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CTRL+grave accent (the key to the left of the number “1” on the top row of keys) puts a grave accent over the next vowel typed. The “6” key becomes a circumflex accent when shifted, so CTRL+SHIFT+6 plus either “a”, “e”, “i”, “o”, or “u” generates “â”, “ê”, “î”, “ô”, and “û”, respectively. To put a cedilla underneath the letter “c”, use CTRL+comma before typing “c” or “C” to get “ç” or “Ç”. For other accent needs use the alt number method or insert characters.
2. Setting up the International Keyboard - uses punctuation as a code for the accents:
- Go to Start, click on control panel
- region and language
- click on keyboards and languages tab
- change keyboards
- click on add on right
- click on + by English US
- check the box for US International, ok at the top right of that area
- then click apply, ok then ok
- at the bottom toolbar on the right, click on the keyboard icon and choose US International
- letters will remain the same, but punctuation like , " will combine to do the accent as below
Creating international characters
When you press the APOSTROPHE ( ' ) key, QUOTATION MARK ( " ) key, ACCENT GRAVE ( ` ) key, TILDE ( ~ ) key, or ACCENT CIRCUMFLEX,. also called the CARET key, ( ^) key, nothing is displayed on the screen until you press a second key:
- If you press one of the letters designated as eligible to receive an accent mark, the accented version of the letter appears.
- If you press the key of a character that is not eligible to receive an accent mark, two separate characters appear.
- If you press the space bar, the symbol (apostrophe, quotation mark, accent grave, tilde, accent circumflex or caret) is displayed by itself.
The following table shows the keyboard combinations that you can use to create the desired character.
| Press this key | Then press this key | Resulting character |
| '(APOSTROPHE) | c, e, y, u, i, o, a | ç, é, ý, ú, í, ó, á |
| "(QUOTATION MARK) | e, y, u, i, o, a | ë, ÿ, ü, ï, ö, ä |
| `(ACCENT GRAVE) | e, u, i, o, a | è, ù, ì, ò, à |
| ~(TILDE) | o, n, a | õ, ñ, ã |
| ^(CARET) | e, u, i, o, a | ê, û, î, ô, â |
To obtain the actual punctuation, hit the space bar after typing it.
MAC, OS X
Macintosh Option Codes for Accented Letters| ACCENT | SAMPLE | TEMPLATE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute | ó Ó | Option+E, V | |
| Circumflex | ô Ô | Option+I, V | |
| Grave | ò Ò | Option+`, V | |
| Tilde | õ Õ | Option+N, V | Only works with "n,N,o,O,a,A" |
| Umlaut | ö Ö | Option+U, V |
Example 1: To input the letter ó, hold down the Option key, then the E key. Release both keys then type lowercase o.
Example 2: To input the letter Ó, hold down the Option key, then the E key. Release both keys then type capital O.
Other Foreign Characters
To insert these characters, press the Option key (bottom of keyboard) then other "code" key to make the symbol appear.
Macintosh Option Codes for Foreign Characters| SYMBOL | NAME | CODE |
|---|---|---|
| ¡ | Upside-down exclamation mark | Option+1 |
| ¿ | Upside-down question mark | Shift+Option+? |
| Ç,ç | French C cedille (caps/lowecase) | Shift+Option+C |
| Œ,œ | OE ligature (caps/lowecase) | Shift+Option+Q |
| ß | German Sharp/Double S | Option+S |
| º, ª | Masculine Ordinal Number (Span/Ital/Portuguese) Feminine Ordinal Number | Option+0 |
| Ø,ø | Nordic O slash (caps/lowecase) | Shift+Option+O |
| Å,å | Nordic A ring (caps/lowecase) | Shift+Option+A |
| Æ,æ | AE ligature (caps/lowecase) | Shift+Option+' (apostrophe key) |
| « » | Spanish/French quotation marks | Option+\ |
Example 1: To input French ç (Option+C), hold down the Option, then the C key. The ç will appear.
Example 2: To input French Ç (Shift+Option+C), hold down the Shift key, then the Option key,then the C key. The ç will appear.
Related FAQ - How do I change my keyboard to another language?