How To Type French Accents In Word

Accent marks are a required part of writing in French. Many English language-speaking beginners' reactions to them are along the lines of, "Practice they really matter?"

They practise!

However, learning how to read and write French accent marks is only part of the battle. Since we live in the twenty-first century, it's important to know how to type them too.

Hither's the problem: French accent marks don't announced on most US English keyboards. Never fear! Typing French accents is easier than it looks, and y'all don't even demand a French keyboard.

This guide volition cover how to blazon French accent marks on English keyboards for PC, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices. This information will assistance you whether you lot're taking French tutoring or a class, organizing a trip to Paris, or but learning the nuts.

What are French accent marks?

Visit our incredible guide to French pronunciation to read more about all the accent marks, their French names, and explanations of how they alter the alphabetic character's pronunciation. Here'due south a cursory overview:

É – Accent aigu

The accent aigu only appears above the letter of the alphabet E. Pronounced like -ay.

Examples of words that include information technology: desolé, médicin.

È – Accent grave

Emphasis grave usually appears above the letter E, but can announced above whatever vowel. Pronounced like the Eastward in the English word "go."

Examples of words that include accent grave: problème, deuxième

Ç – Accent cedille

The cedille appears under the letter of the alphabet C, and makes the sound soft, like an S, equally opposed to difficult, like a K.

Examples of words that include accent cedille: français, garçon

Ö – Emphasis trema

The trema tin appear over any vowel. It makes the 2nd vowel in a pair voiced, and is ofttimes used with names and places.

Examples of words that include it : coïncidence, Zoë

Ô – Circonflexe

The circonflexe can announced over any vowel. It does not significantly modify the pronunciation. There is a move to remove information technology from the language, but information technology is still important to recognize it and know which words include it.

Examples of words that include it: être, hôtel

Inserting French accent marks in word processors

Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Mac computers all have features that allow you to insert special characters that don't appear on the keys. This is the nearly intuitive way to type French accent marks.

GoogleDocs

In Google Docs, commencement by clicking "Insert", and then "Special Characters." Two drop-down menus and a grid of symbols will pop upwards. Select "Latin" from the starting time drop-down menu, and then select the accented letter you want to blazon from the grid. Easy!

Microsoft Give-and-take

In Microsoft Word, also start past clicking "Insert." Adjacent, click "Symbol." A filigree of symbols volition pop up. If the one you lot're looking for is non on at that place, click "More Symbols" at the bottom. Yous'll see two drop-down menus and a grid. Select "Basic Latin" from the 2d drop-downwards card, select the accented letter of the alphabet yous want to type from the grid, and click "Insert."

Mac

On a Mac, beginning by clicking "Edit" in the menu bar. Then choose "Special Characters" and select "Roman" from the drop-downwards menu. Next, select the "Accented Latin" graphic symbol palette. Then, click the character you lot want to blazon, and striking "Insert".

Of course, word processors are far from the but place where people type!

Emphasis marking shortcuts for PC

To enter these codes for French accent marks, apply a sustained key press – press each key i at a time, and hold it down until all the keys in the sequence are pressed downwardly (note: don't type the "+" symbol).

Accent aïgue (é): Press CTRL+' (apostrophe), followed by the letter
Emphasis grave (à, è, ù): Press CTRL+` (the fundamental to the left of "1"), followed by the letter
Accent circonflèxe (â, ê, î, ô, û): Press CTRL+Shift-6 followed by the letter of the alphabet
Trëma (ë, ï, ü): Press CTRL+Shift+; followed by the letter
Cédille (ç): Press CTRL+ followed by the alphabetic character

If these codes don't work on your computer, don't fret. Endeavour these Windows ALT codes for French emphasis marks past simply using your number pad:

Alt+0233 (é)
Alt+0224 (à)
Alt+0232 (è)
Alt+0249 (ù)
Alt+0226 (â)
Alt+0234 (ê)
Alt+0238 (î)
Alt+0244 (ô)
Alt+0251 (û)
Alt+0235 (ë)
Alt+0239 (ï)
Alt+0252 (ü)
Alt+0231 (ç)

French accent mark shortcuts for Mac

You tin can type French accents on an Apple tree device with Option Key Accents codes and KeyCaps.

Option Key Accents codes

The mod Mac OS offers an uncommonly fast method of typing French accents, and information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to use:

Emphasis aïgue (é): Press Option + E
Accent grave (à, è, ù): Printing Choice + ` followed by the letter of the alphabet
Accent circonflèxe (â, ê, î, ô, û): Press Option + I followed by the letter
Trëma (ë, ï, ü): Printing Choice+u followed by the letter
Cédille (ç): Printing Option + C

KeyCaps

To utilise KeyCaps to type French accent marks, click on the little Apple logo on the elevation left side of your screen.

Next, open KeyCaps. A piffling keyboard volition appear on the screen. Hold down the Pick cardinal until a series of accent marks appears. Click on the French accent marker yous wish to type, so type the alphabetic character that it modifies.

For example, if y'all wanted to type é, click `, and then type the Due east. Et voila.

Accent mark shortcuts for mobile devices

For iPhone, Android, and tablet keyboards, hold down any letter of the alphabet, and French accent options will appear (with other non-French accents, as well). In a nutshell, if you want to type "e" with an accent, hold down the "Due east" central, and you'll instantly see these options pop up: è é ê ë ē ĕ ė ę ě and ə. Just click the i yous're looking for, and keep on writing.

Typing French accent marks in Linux

There are two options for typing accent marks in a Linux operating organization: Grapheme Palette and Compose Fundamental.

Character Palette

To use the character palette, right-click on the meridian bar and choose "Add to Panel". Then, click "Grapheme Palette". To insert the accent mark you're looking for, left-click it, which volition copy the accent mark to your clipboard. Just use Ctrl + Five (Paste) to identify information technology in a word or sentence

Compose Key

To use the Compose Fundamental, you have to first designate an unused fundamental every bit the Compose Primal by following this click sequence:

Control Center > Accessibility Options > Keyboard Properties > Options > Compose Key selection

Once it's designated, hold down your Compose Fundamental, followed past the letter and the accent mark, to place the symbol.

Hither are some examples:

To type é, the sequence is: compose central, E, '.
To type è, the sequence is: etch key, East, `.
To type ö, the sequence is: compose cardinal, O, ".

Windows International Keyboard add-ons

Another selection for typing French accents in Windows is to add an alternating keyboard layout. The options available for typing in French are International Keyboard, French Keyboard, and Canadian French Keyboard.

The International Keyboard is the most user-friendly to The states-based users who are used to a QWERTY-manner layout. The French Keyboard is AZERTY and has several keys in different places than a US English keyboard. That makes switching back and along confusing. The Canadian French keyboard has all the un-modified letters in the aforementioned spots, but has some boosted characters.

However, the typing of the accents themselves is easier on the French and Canadian French Keyboards. On the French keyboard, most emphasis marks are available as keys. On the Canadian French, however, fewer are available as keys, simply the codes are simpler.

International Keyboard accent codes

When you apply the International Keyboard, you have to watch out when typing quotation marks and apostrophes before messages that accents aigu, cédilles, and trémas typically modify. If yous do not put an extra infinite between the punctuation and the alphabetic character, information technology will assume that you want the accent marking. For example, for c'est not to become cést, you would have to type it as "c' est" and then go dorsum and remove the infinite.

To type accent grave (à, è, etc), type ` (to the left of one) then the vowel.
For Emphasis aigu (é), type ' (single quote) then E.
To type cédille (ç), blazon ' and then C.
To enter a **circonflexe **(ê), type ^ (shift + half dozen) then E.
To use tréma (ö), blazon " (shift + ') then O.

French Keyboard Accent Codes

To type anything with a circumflex (â, ê, etc), type ^ and then the vowel
For a tréma, (ä, ë, etc), type ¨ and the vowel

Canadian French Keyboard Accent Codes

For an aigu accent (é), type ´ (adjacent to the right-hand shift key) and then e
For a grave emphasis (à, è, ù), blazon ' (apostrophe / single quote) then the vowel
The circumflex ˆ and tréma ¨ are in the upper-right corner, side past side next to the Enter central
For cédille (ç), type ¸ (left of the "Enter" key) and then C

Once you decide which keyboard add together-on you want to use, here are the instructions for enabling it:

Open up Control Panel
Under "Clock, Language, and Region," click "Change input methods"
Click "Options" to the right of your language
Click "Add an Input Method"
Scroll downwards to the language you want to add, click + next to information technology, so select the layout*
Click OK in each dialog window.

No thing which method you lot like the best, y'all'll be ready to type in French whether it'south in nowadays, past, or future tense. Don't forget to make the most of your learning by booking a French tutor.

To learn everything you need to start learning French, bank check out our indispensable guide.

Lauren Harsh is a French tutor and content writer based in Chicago. They take a dual BA in International Studies and French and Francophone Studies from the University of Michigan and 10 years of French experience. Request Tutoring From Lauren