# Finding software for accented letters **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2026, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552 "2026-10-03T01:36:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/1 "2026-10-03T01:36:05Z")
On my old computer, sadly defunct, there was a program for doing accented letters. Unfortunately I have lost its name and am hoping some Doper knows what it is. The way it worked was every character you wanted started by hitting—and releasing the right alternate key. If you then hit, say '+e you got an acute e. `+e got you a grave e, "+o got an umlauted o. IIRC correctly H+o got you the accent you need for Erdos. (Of course the + signs are not to be typed.) It is not the stupid Microsoft program where rt.alt+e gives an acute e but there is no way to get the grave accent. If some Doper can remind me what the name was so I can install it on my replacement computer, I would be very grateful. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/2 "2026-10-03T01:56:49Z")
You could keep an ascii list handy as either a printed sheet or on your computer. I’ve done this for over 20 years. > **[ANSI-ASCII Character Tables](https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/ansi-ascii_tables.html)** > > Contains graphics of several ANSI and ASCII Character Tables. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/3 "2026-10-03T02:01:28Z")
@Hari_Seldon , what operating system is your new machine? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/4 "2026-10-03T02:21:54Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > On my old computer, sadly defunct, there was a program for doing accented letters. Unfortunately I have lost its name and am hoping some Doper knows what it is. > > The way it worked was every character you wanted started by hitting—and releasing the right alternate key. If you then hit, say '+e you got an acute e. `+e got you a grave e, "+o got an umlauted o. IIRC correctly H+o got you the accent you need for Erdos. (Of course the + signs are not to be typed.) Any chance it was **[WinCompose](https://windowsforum.com/news/wincompose-fast-keyboard-first-unicode-and-emoji-input-for-windows.391560/?amp=1)**? If not, modern WinCompose is an open-source program that does exactly what you’re describing. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/5 "2026-10-03T02:30:58Z")
[WinCompose](https://github.com/SamHocevar/wincompose), [compose-keys](https://github.com/MrBertie/compose-keys), [AllChars](https://sourceforge.net/projects/allchars/), and [Compose](https://github.com/p3lim/Compose) can all do this. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/6 "2026-10-03T03:25:28Z")
If you don’t mind doing a copy and paste, you can use the online keyboards at [Branah](https://www.branah.com/). There are currently around one hundred languages supported. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/7 "2026-10-03T05:41:56Z")
I only know the Mac stuff. There’s probably brilliant Windows stuff out there, I’m just ignorant of it because I only use Windows as a second language. For us Mac folks, Keyboard Preferences lets you put an icon in your menu bar and you can invoke a virtual keyboard at any time; our way of invoking special characters (∂ƒé∆¢flß etc) is to hold down the option key (shift key gives you an additional set when joined with the option key), and the virtual keyboard displays what you’d get if you did that keystroke. Or you can click on the virtual keyboard itself to input the symbol that you want. Doesn’t have every symbol in existence. Some symbols have to be inserted with more arcane processes.