Typing accented letters and special characters on a PC
There are different ways to get your PC computer (Windows) with English keyboard to insert “foreign characters” (á, à, ñ, ¿, ¡, etc.).
For Apple OS X computers, see https://forlang.wsu.edu/help-pages/help-pages-keyboards-os-x/
Method 1: Microsoft Word word processor
For instructions to insert foreign letters and symbols in Word, see the other side of this form. This only works when you’re in Word,
not anywhere else, but you can always copy and paste what you type in Word into another application or browser window.
Method 2: Alt-keys
Really lame way to insert characters, but it will do when you're not at your own computer or when not in Word. While keeping the
left Alt key pressed, type the following number on the key pad (not on the number keys above the letters). (NumLock should be on.)
á 160
ó 162
» 175
à 133
ò 149
ñ 164
â 131
ô 147
Ñ 165
ä 132
ö 148
¿ 168
é 130
ú 163
¡ 173
è 138
ù 151
ê 136
û 150
ë 137
ü 129
í 161
ç 135
ì 141
Ç 128
î 140
É 144
ï 139
« 174
Method 3: Windows international keyboard mapping
This is the best method when you are going to be using special characters on a regular basis. Do not let the apparent complications
scare you away. It will work in every program you write in, including email and other Web boxes in any browser. This method
involves adding a special character mapping for your English keyboard.
In Windows 7, to add a new keyboard mapping do the following:
1. Go to the Start button, select Control Panel
2. If you are viewing “By Category”, double-click on “Change Keyboards or Other Input Methods”; if you are viewing “By Icons”
double click on “Region and Language”; you will be at the Text Services and Input Languages window.
3. In the Keyboards and Languages tab, click on Change Keyboards
4. Click Add, then under English (United States), check United States-International. Click OK.
5. Back at the Text Services and Input Languages window, now you should have two choices for Default Input Language (drop
menu). You may select English (United States) - United States-International) to be the default. Click OK.
[NOTE: If this is the only keyboard layout you want to use, you can just delete the other keyboard layout. If you have more than one
keyboard layout, an icon will now appear (usually by the Windows Taskbar, bottom, right side of your screen, by the clock) from
which you can choose among the different keyboard layouts. Select United States International before typing foreign characters.]
Now, in order to type special characters, you will type a combination of 'accent key' plus main key. For example, ' + a (i.e. first a
single quote/apostrophe and then the letter a, in separate strokes), you will get an accented a: á. If you type ` (slanted single
quote) + a, will give you à. The letter ñ is ~ + n. (~ = Shift-`)
KEY SEQUENCE
RESULT
KEY SEQUENCE RESULT
Apostrophe (') + letter (a, e, i, o, u, c)
á,é,í,ó,ú, ç ~ + n
ñ
Slant apostrophe (`) + letter (a, e, i, o, u) à,è,ì,ò,ù
Ctrl-Alt-/
¿
Quote marks (") + letter (a,e,i,o,u)
ä,ë,ï,ö,ü
Ctrl-Alt-1
¡
Circumflex (^) + letter (a,e,i,o,u)
â,ê,î,ô,û
The only drawback of this method is that when you actually want to type 'a and not á, you have to type ' + <space bar> + a. If this
bothers you, you don’t have to use this keyboard layout exclusively. You can go back and forth between two of them (see above).
With the international layout, you can also use the right ALT key (AltGr), the Alt key to the right of the space bar (not the one to the
left) to type many of the accented letters and other special keys used in European languages other than English, e.g.
KEY SEQUENCE
RESULT
KEY SEQUENCE
RESULT
Right-Alt-key + letter (a,e,i,o,u)
accented letter (á,é,í,ó,ú)
Right-Alt-key + 1
¡
Right-Alt-key + n N
ñÑ
Right-Alt-key + , (comma)
ç
Right-Alt-key + /
¿
Right-Alt-key + a
á
Source: http://lrc.salemstate.edu/aske/accents.htm (Dr. Jon Aske) (v. 20130612)
Windows - Microsoft Word Codes
These codes apply to Microsoft Word on Windows only. If you are using another software package, use use must use one of the
other methods of inputting accents. This page list codes for accented letters and other characters. The list is organized by type.
These tables show select codes only, not all possible codes.
NOTE: Word also has the Insert Symbol tool, available on the Insert menu. See instructions for Insert Symbol posted by the Center
for Language Acquisition. Many more non-English characters can be inserted this way, including many other language characters and
phonetic symbols, especially if you use a Unicode font such as Lucida Sans Unicode.
Letters with Accents
This list is organized by Accent type. The sample shows a letter with that accent, and the Notes present any special comments about
using that accent. In this template, "V" stands any vowel key (lower or uppercase). Plus (+) means keys down together. Comma (,)
means let go of previous keys.
ACCENT
Acute
Circumflex
Grave
Tilde
Umlaut
SAMPLE
óÓ
ôÔ
òÒ
ñÑ
öÖ
TEMPLATE
Control+', V
Shift+Control+^, V
Control+`, V
Shift+Control+~, V
Shift+Control+:, V
NOTES
' = apostrophe key
Only works with "n, N, o, O, a, A"
: = colon key
Example 1: To type the letter ó, hold down the Control key, then press the apostrophe key. Release both keys and type o.
Example 2: To type the letter Ó, hold down the Control key, then press the apostrophe key. Release both keys and type O.
Example 3: To type ñ, hold down the Shift key, then the Control key, then the ~ key. Release all three keys, then type n.
Other Foreign Characters
SYMBOL
NAME
CODE
NOTES
¡
Upside-down exclamation point
Alt+Shift+Control+! Either Alt key works.
¿
Upside-down question mark
Alt+Shift+Control+? Either Alt key works.
Ç, ç
French C cedille (caps/lowecase)
Œ, œ
OE ligature (caps/lowecase)
ß
German Sharp/Double S
Ø, ø
Nordic O slash (caps/lowecase)
Å, å
Æ, æ
Ð, ð
Nordic A-ring, Angstrom sign
(caps/lowecase)
Old English AE ligature
(caps/lowecase)
Old English eth (caps/lowecase)
Control+,,c
Control+,,C
Shift+Control+&,o
Shift+Control+&,O
For ç, press Control, then the
comma key. Release then press c.
Shift+Control+&,S
Control+/,o
Control+/,O
Shift+Control+@,a
Shift+Control+@,A
Shift+Control+&,a
Shift+Control+&,A
Control+',d
Control+',D
A with ring/Angstrom Sign
Icelandic/Old English eth
' = apostrophe key
Example 1: To input Spanish upside down exclamation point ¡ (Alt+Shift+Control+!), hold down the Alt key, then the Shift key, the
the Control key, then the ! key. Release all four keys, and the ¡ punctuation will appear.
Example 2: To input French oe ligature œ (Shift+Control+&,o), hold down the Shift key, then the Control key, then the & key.
Release all three keys and then type o to make the letter appear.
Adapted by Jon Aske from https://forlang.wsu.edu/help-pages/ and other sources.