Accents Keyboard Chart

If the inevitable occurs and you need to type up a paper in French, Spanish, or German, this page might come in handy. It contains many of the accented and other characters that you can include into your paper.

If you are using a Macintosh, the process is simple: hold down the option key in combination with another key that makes the accent, and then type the vowel (the option key creates a "dead" key until you type the vowel). You can use the KeyCaps desk accessory to see where these accents are located (open KeyCaps, look at the on-screen keyboard, and hold down the option key). In general, to make the accent aigu, use option + e ; for the accent grave, use option + the grave symbol ( located under the left escape button); for the circumflex, use option + i ; for the dieresis, option + u; and for the cedilla, option + c.

If you are using a PC, use the following codes to create the accented characters. These codes are the Windows-based codes, and should work within most Windows-compatible word processors (i.e. MS Word, MS Works, Wordpad).

If you have the "Character Map" program in your Windows' Start Button - Programs - Accessories Menu, you can view the full list of codes. The Character Map is a default Windows program, so it should be on most Windows-running computer systems.

To get one of these special characters to appear within your essay, hold the ALT key. Then just type in the 4-digit code number on the right-side numeric keypad. Release the ALT key, and the special character should appear.

You can view and print the plain text version of the accents chart.