These codes apply to Microsoft Word on Windows only. Users of Word for Mac should refer to the Mac Option codes.
If you are using another software package, you must use one of the other methods of inputting accents.
Page Content
- Letters with Accents – (e.g. ó, ò, ñ)
- Other Foreign Characters – (e.g. ç, ¿, ß)
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.
For the Template, the symbol "V" means any vowel.
| ACCENT | SAMPLE | TEMPLATE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute | ó Ó |
Control+‘, V
|
‘ = apostrophe key |
| Circumflex | ô Ô |
Shift+Control+^, V
|
|
| Grave | ò Ò |
Control+`, V
|
|
| Tilde | ñ Ñ |
Shift+Control+~, V
|
Only works with "n,N,o,O,a,A" |
| Umlaut | ö Ö |
Shift+Control+:, V
|
:= 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. The accented letter should appear.
Example 2: To type the letter Ó, hold down the Control key, then press the apostrophe key. Release both keys and type O. The accented letter should appear.
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
This list is current for Word 2000. Some foreign characters may not have codes in earlier versions of Word.
| 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) | Control+,,c Control+,,C |
For ç, press Control, then the comma key. Release then press c. |
| Œ,œ | OE ligature (caps/lowecase) | Shift+Control+&,o Shift+Control+&,O |
|
| ß | German Sharp/Double S | Shift+Control+&,S | |
| Ø,ø | Nordic O slash (caps/lowecase) | Control+/,o Control+/,O |
|
| Å,å | Nordic A-ring, Angstrom sign (caps/lowecase) | Shift+Control+@,a Shift+Control+@,A |
A with ring/Angstrom Sign |
| Æ,æ | Old English AE ligature (caps/lowecase) | Shift+Control+&,a Shift+Control+&,A |
|
| Ð,ð | Old English eth (caps/lowecase) | Control+’,d Control+’,D |
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.