# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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 4, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/21 "2026-10-04T00:10:32Z")
Does not work. Just get u0151. Anyway ordinary accents work fine. The glossary that comes with WinCompose suggest that compose key+|+C will get the complex numbers C and similarly for others, but that does not work either. BTW, I am using Win 11. Had not choice with the new computer. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/22 "2026-10-04T00:40:15Z")
It looks like you have to press Enter after typing the “u0151”. You can also enter it as Compose followed by the two characters “=o”, with no Enter required. I found this by opening the “WinCompose Sequences” program from the Start menu and searching for “o with double acute”. You can look up any Unicode character and it shows the codepoint (U+0151 in this case) as well as the predefined sequence for it (“Compose = o” in this case). If there’s no predefined sequence or the sequence is too long, you can always use “u” followed by the codepoint and Enter, or you can set up your own custom definitions in the User-defined sequences section. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/23 "2026-10-04T00:43:05Z")
Just go to [www.pgdp.net/wiki/DP\_Official\_Documentation:Proofreading/Proofreading\_Guidelines#insert\_char](http://www.pgdp.net/wiki/DP_Official_Documentation:Proofreading/Proofreading_Guidelines#insert_char) and near the bottom of the page is a chart: _ **Windows Shortcuts for Basic Latin symbols** _ **(and another one for Mac). That contains the Alt- code for mot of the common accented characters & others. I just printed a copy of that and keep it handy near my computer.** **Then to type one, I just hold down the Alt key and type the numeric code on the number pad. Very quick, no extra programs required, and has worked unchanged from at least Windows XP.** ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/24 "2026-10-04T00:48:09Z")
Who has a computer with a number pad? Those went away when we most folks switched to laptops and tablets. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/25 "2026-10-04T00:56:11Z")
On Windows, without WinCompose, you have to type in the decimal form of the Unicode code point. Windows CharMap says ő is U+0151 in hexadecimal, and 151 hex is 337 in decimal. So you can open Word and hold the LeftAlt while typing 3 3 7 on the keypad. On [this page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_operators_and_symbols_in_Unicode#Letterlike_Symbols_block) I see that the complex numbers set ℂ is U+2102 , and 2102 in hexadecimal translates to 8450 in decimal, so LeftAlt 8 4 5 0 and release. If you’d like to avoid the hex-to-decimal conversion, there is apparently [a registry entry to tell Windows you’d like to enter hex codes directly](https://superuser.com/questions/13086/how-do-you-type-unicode-characters-using-hexadecimal-codes/59458#59458), then you could hold LeftAlt and press the + key and 2 1 0 2 and release. But LeftAlt and the + key opens a formula editor in my copy of Word… For reference: If you were working on Linux, code point entry expects hexadecimal, you can type Ctrl+Shift+u (a small underlined u will appear), then release Ctrl+shift and type 2 1 0 2 then press Enter and you get your ℂ. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/26 "2026-10-04T01:00:31Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Who has a computer with a number pad? Those went away when we most folks switched to laptops and tablets. True, that. My corporate laptop (HP ZBook) has a keypad, but many don’t. It is possible to plug in a full-sized keyboard via USB or Bluetooth, though. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/27 "2026-10-04T01:23:35Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > On my Mac On your Mac, if you hold down a key, you’ll get a pop-up window with choices of accented letters, with a corresponding number to type. Unless you’re typing a really wide variety of accented letters, pretty soon you know the key ones (hah) you need by heart. For example, I know what I’ll get if I hold down the A key and type 9 or the E key and type 7: # ā # ē …because that line on top of a vowel is fairly common in Hawaiian so I end up needing it. But you don’t have to memorize anything, just hold the key down (or shift-key if you need a capital) and look at the choices. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/28 "2026-10-04T01:53:41Z")
You should not have to type in random hex codes. ő should be “=o” and ℂ should be “CC”, I believe ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/29 "2026-10-04T11:46:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Who has a computer with a number pad? Windows on-screen keyboard for anyone using an undocked small laptop. But I’d probably just have a reference file to copy/paste from or set up autohotkeys. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/30 "2026-10-05T17:12:08Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Who has a computer with a number pad? Those went away when we most folks switched to laptops and tablets. Even those computer have them, they’re just mapped to existing keys, and require you to turn on Num Lock. And it’s just a size thing: smaller screens on portables mean a smaller keyboard, so they leave out the extra keys. Plenty of people still want larger screens, either in their laptop or in a desktop. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/31 "2026-10-05T17:41:15Z")
Yes, some laptops still have a 10-pad and a numlock key. Maybe even most. Lotta variety out there. There is no such thing on the Windows tablet and matching factory keyboard I’m using. And yes, I get that it’s a size thing. My point was entirely reacting to someone blithely asserting in 2026 that _of course_ everyone has a desktop & 101-key keyboard. So I blithely asserted the polar opposite. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/32 "2026-10-05T17:45:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yes, some laptops still have a 10-pad and a numlock key. Maybe even most. Lotta variety out there. FWIW, I have 2-year old 15.6" HP laptop with a full keyboard including the num pad keys, and it fits perfectly and ergonomically. But maybe that’s considered a big screen for a mobile device theses days, I dunno. I wouldn’t want anything smaller. ---
**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 5, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/33 "2026-10-05T20:10:23Z")
Now here’s a curiosity. Alt+=+o gets me ő when I am typing here on TSD, it gives me an O on my regular editor. Now I wonder if that editor is limited to displaying only the lower 128 chars. I’ll bet that’s it. It is very old. Although it was updated 30 years ago for windows, I have been using it for over 30 years and am not about to switch at my age. Anyway, thanks for all your help. ---
**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 5, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/34 "2026-10-05T21:06:51Z")
I just realized that it is not the extended ASCII it fails to display. `e is char 232. It is the really extended character set that it fails. When I copied the ő into that editor, it just displayed an o. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/35 "2026-10-05T21:10:18Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Who has a computer with a number pad? Those went away when we most folks switched to laptops and tablets. _raises hand_ I have an Acer gaming laptop, which has an extended keyboard with a number pad. It’s useful for me when I play MMOs, though I don’t use those keys often outside of gaming. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/36 "2026-10-05T21:56:10Z")
If you are still using KEDIT, I do not think it supports any kind of Unicode character set, or Hungarian out of the box, if that is what you mean. Unless they have updated something. That includes any kind of blackboard bold and integral signs and what not. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/37 "2026-10-06T12:25:12Z")
I just happened to fix a similar problem at work (software). Aside from the editor and its text rendering stack, it might be a font thing too. Different fonts support different Unicode ranges, and different operating systems have different fallback paths for the missing characters in a font. At least you get an o and not [tofu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noto_fonts#Etymology)! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/38 "2026-10-06T16:22:39Z")
I cannot be sure there is not a font thing, but chances are it is not _just_ a font thing, because a lot of old character sets used a fixed 7 or 8 bits per character, which limits you to, say, 256 characters per set, but dealing with more than that requires either more bits per single character, a variable number of bits per character, or both, and if the editor does not support that, weird things will happen. ---
**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 6, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/39 "2026-10-06T22:51:22Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > If you are still using KEDIT, I do not think it supports any kind of Unicode character set, or Hungarian out of the box, if that is what you mean. Unless they have updated something. That includes any kind of blackboard bold and integral signs and what not. You are absolutely correct. If I use Alt+=+o here or in email, it works right. In Kedit it does not. I can live with the that. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552/40 "2026-10-08T12:07:34Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > [AllChars](https://sourceforge.net/projects/allchars/) Is AllChars working again? It was my favorite but stopped working with Win 10. The comments are at least 11 years old. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-software-for-accented-letters/1033552.md?page=3)