Knowing how to add accents to letters can speed up the typing process, whether you're typing in a different language or adding accents to words in your own language. There are several ways to add accents to letters, depending on the program you're using. This article explains to you some of the most commonly used ways to add accents.
Note: The information in this article is intended specifically for those of you who use an English keyboard as an input language. Keyboards in other languages usually come with the necessary accents and are used in that language.
Step
Method 1 of 5: Typing Accents on PC
Step 1. Try using a keyboard shortcut
Keyboard shortcuts work on almost any new PC running the Microsoft Word program. Shortcuts like these tend to be faster and easier to remember than ASCII codes used to add accents.
Step 2. Press the Ctrl key and `, followed by the letter you want to add a grave accent to the letter.
Press and hold the Ctrl key, then tap the accent key in the upper-left corner of the keyboard. Release both buttons. After that, press the key of the desired letter to add an accent to that letter.
The accent key usually doubles as the ~ key. Keep in mind that these buttons are not abbreviations or apostrophes
Step 3. Press Ctrl. key and ', followed by the letter you want to add an acute accent to.
Press and hold the Ctrl key, then press the apostrophe key. You'll find the apostrophe key next to the Enter key. After that, release both keys and select the letters you want to add accents to.
Step 4. Press Ctrl. key + Shift da
Step 6., followed by the letters you want to add a circumflex accent to
Press and hold Ctrl and Shift, then press the number 6 key. After that, release all three keys and press the letter key for which you want to add an accent. The number key 6 is used in this step because on that key, you can find the character “^” above the number character “6”.
Step 5. Press Shift. key + Ctrl + ~, followed by the letter you want to add an accent to to add a wave accent (tilde accent).
The wave accent button is the same button when you want to add a non-striped accent. Make sure you press and hold down the Shift key so that you don't add a tapered accent to the letters. Release the three buttons, then select the desired letter.
Step 6. Press Shift. key + Ctrl + :, followed by the desired letter to add a double accent (umlaut).
You can find the colon button next to the apostrophe button. You need to press and hold the Shift key to select the colon punctuation so that you don't enter the semicolon. After that, release all three keys and select the letter you want to add an accent to.
Step 7. For capital letters, add accents in the same way
However, this time you need to press and hold down the Shift key right after you press the Ctrl + accent key combination. After holding down Shift, press the letter you want to add an accent to. Automatically, the displayed capital letters will be added with an accent.
Method 2 of 5: Learning the Key Code in Windows (ASCII Code)
Step 1. Use Alt key code
To use these codes on your keyboard, you must disable the numeric keyboard located on the right side of the main keyboard. ASCII codes can be used with Microsoft Office. However, this code does not always work with all Windows programs. Therefore, you need to check each program yourself to see if the code can be used in the program in question.
Step 2. Press and hold the ALT key
While there are a lot of numeric codes to remember, the first thing you need to do to use all the codes is to press and hold the ALT key. Keep holding down the keys while you type in the required numeric code.
Step 3. Type the appropriate accent code on the numeric keyboard
Type in the following codes to get letters with non-striped accents:
- = 0224; = 0192
- = 0232; = 0200
- = 0236; = 0204
- = 0242; = 0210
- = 0249; = 0217
Type in the following codes to get letters with a tapered accent:
- á = 0225; = 0193
- é = 0233; = 0201
- i = 0237; = 0205
- ó = 0243; = 0211
- = 0250; = 0218
- = 0253; = 0221
Type in the following codes to get letters with a circumflex accent:
- â = 0226; Â = 0194
- = 0234; = 0202
- = 0238; = 0206
- = 0244; = 0212
- = 0251; = 0219
Type in the following codes to get letters with a wave accent:
- = 0227; = 0195
- = 0241; = 0209
- = 0245; = 0213
Type the following codes to get letters with double accents:
- = 0228; = 0196
- = 0235; = 0203
- = 0239; = 0207
- ö = 0246; = 0214
- = 0252; = 0220
- = 0255; = 0159
Step 4. Release the ALT key
After that, the accent will be displayed above the corresponding letter (as shown in the example). To learn these codes, you do need practice because there is a lot of code to remember. However, if you use these accented letters frequently, you can create cheat sheets on your computer so you can easily refer to them. Also, if you frequently use accented letters, it's a good idea to rearrange your keyboard to better suit your typing needs.
Method 3 of 5: Creating an Accent on a Mac Komputer
Step 1. Use keyboard shortcuts to create accents when typing on a Mac
This method can be used on Pages program documents, as well as other work over the web. The Option key must always be pressed and held first, followed by the other two key combinations to specify the type of accent and letter you want.
Step 2. Press the Option. button + `, followed by the letter you want to add a non-striped accent to.
Press and hold the Option key, then press the ` key (accent key). After that, release both buttons. Now, you can see the accents marked in yellow on the document page. After that, press the desired letter key. The accent can be added to any vowel.
Step 3. Press the Option. button + E, followed by the desired letter to add a tapered accent.
Press and hold the Option key, then touch the E key. Release both buttons. Once you see the tapered accents marked in yellow, you can choose the letter you want. This accent can be added to any vowel.
Step 4. Press the Option. button + I, followed by the desired letter to add a circumflex accent.
Press and hold the Option key first, then press the I key. Release both keys. After that, select the letter you want to add an accent to. You can also use this accent on any vowel.
Step 5. Press the Option. button and N, then select the letter you want to add a wave accent to.
Press and hold the Option key first, then press the N key. Release both keys and press the letter key you want. This accent can only be added to the letters A, N, and O.
Step 6. Press the Option. button + U, followed by the desired letter to add a double-point accent.
Press and hold the Option key first, then press the U key. Release both keys and select the desired letter.
Step 7. Press Shift key to accent the capital letters
You need to press and hold down the Shift key first to capitalize the letter. Usually, if a letter character is entered at the beginning of a sentence, it will automatically change to a capital letter.
Method 4 of 5: Copying and Pasted Accents
Step 1. Get to know the existing accent first
You should always make sure that you add the correct accent to the word because sometimes, different accents can give different meanings to the word. Below are some of the common accents used in most European languages:
- Smooth accents –,,,,
- Tapered accents – á, é, í, ó,,
- Circumflex accents – â,,,,
- Wave accents –,,
- Dual accent – ,,, ö, ü,
Step 2. Find examples of the letters or words needed
You can extract text from an existing text file, a map or character viewer program on your computer, or search the internet for it. If you search for a word that generally uses accents through a search engine, you can easily copy the word.
Step 3. Mark the required letters or words
On a PC, right-click a letter or word to copy the text. For Mac, press Command + C to copy letters/words.
Step 4. Paste the accented letters on the text
If you're using a Mac, you can select " Paste and match style " by right-clicking the page so that the accent or accented word has a style that matches the rest of the text. If you're using a PC, simply sign the pasted word and change the font to match the entire text. If you don't use accents very often, or simply need a quick solution, this method can be the most efficient method for quickly adding accents.
Method 5 of 5: Reconfiguring the Keyboard
Step 1. For Windows XP users, go to Control Panel
Click the main menu in the lower left corner of the screen, then select "Control Panel".
- Click the "Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options" option.
- Click the “Regional and Language Options” option.
- Select the " Languages " tab at the top of the window.
- Click "Details" at the bottom of the window.
- Click "Add" and select the language you want to add.
- Go back to the " Languages " tab and select " switch languages " by pressing the left alt=""Image" and Shift key combinations simultaneously. This way, you can switch from a Spanish keyboard (for example) to a regular keyboard, whenever you want.</li" />
Step 2. To change the keyboard configuration on Windows 8 and 10, first go to Control Panel
You can access the menu by holding down the Win key and pressing the R key.
- Switch to small icon view. This way, you don't have to click a lot to access the language menu directly.
- Click the icon labeled “Language”.
- Select "Options".
- Click the "Add an input method" option. This way, you can select the desired keyboard configuration.
Step 3. Open System Preferences if you want to change the keyboard configuration on a Mac computer
You can access it via Launchpad or the “Applications” folder.
- Click the “International” option.
- Select the "Input Menu" tab.
- Swipe up on the screen and select the desired language.
- Take note of the key combination required to switch from one language to another OR select " Show input menu in menu bar " so you can click and select the keyboard you want to use.
Tips
- On an iPhone or iPad, simply press and hold the letter you want to add an accent to. After that, you can choose an accent from the row of accented letters displayed on the screen.
- In the market, there are keyboard kits with accented letters that have been printed/displayed on the keys. Such a keyboard will come in handy if you have to accent letters frequently.
- Some programs can turn some keys into accented letter keys. In addition, there are programs that display a virtual keyboard so you can select and click on the accented letter you want.
