# Typing special characters on computers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645 "2006-03-09T04:51:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/1 "2006-03-09T04:51:40Z")
```auto Letter PC shortcut Mac shortcut é (as in Sinéad) Alt+0233 Option+e, e è (as in fève) Alt+0232 Option+`, e à (as in voilà) Alt+0224 Option+`, a ô (as in bientôt) Alt+0244 Option+i, o ï (as in naïve) Alt+0239 Option+u, i ç (as in leçon) Alt+0231 Option+c ``` The above table was blatantly plagiarized from someone who I am not going to reference. What the hell does Alt+0233 mean? How do I type these into the browser window? It does not work in firefox, It does not work in ie. It does work in wordpad but not in AbiWord. I will have to break out the work laptop and see if it works in word. Other web sites suggest ctrl+’,i to get í. Again this seem to work with some microsoft things but not others. For the record if all these accented or otherwise adulterated characters show up correctly as they do in my browser they were all cut and pasted either from the unmentioned website or from WordPad. In short how the hell can I accent things with élan? Or is that èlan? ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/2 "2006-03-09T04:54:25Z")
Alt+0223: Hold down the ALT key and on the NUMBER pad, not the numbers across the top of your keyboard, type 0223. When the ALT key is released, the character will appear. It should work almost anywhere. Let us know if it works. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/3 "2006-03-09T04:58:48Z")
The ctrl-'i thing is indeed specific to Microsoft Office AFAIK. Another Office-specific one that’s useful in a small handful of languages is: ctrl-shift-~ n which should give you the Spanish letter eñe\* which I think is also used sparingly in Portuguese, but I really wouldn’t know. Anyway, there you go. - Alt+0241, btw. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/4 "2006-03-09T05:03:36Z")
**Rico** , thanks for the prompt reply. Sadly this did not work. It worked in IE, Eudora etc, but not firefox. Goddamn open source crap. The é appeared in the google toolbar text window. If I turn off the google toolbar it does not appear anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/5 "2006-03-09T05:12:37Z")
**fetus** , thanks for you reply. Saldy again it looks like every thing but firefox and ie works with you suggestion. íìï and even â ctrl+’`:^ letting go then the letter works in all places but firefox and ie. Enough browser bashing. How bought that blond furry crayfish? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/6 "2006-03-09T05:40:03Z")
Works for me on Firefox: éèàôïçñ The whole series from Alt+0128 to Alt+0255: €ƒ„…†‡‰Š‹ŒŽ‘’“”•–—˜™š›œžŸ¡¢£¤¥¦§¨©«¬®¯°±²³´µ¶·¸¹º»¼½¾¿ ÀÁÂÃÄÅÆÏÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏÐÑÒÓÔÕÖ×ØÙÚÛÜÝÞßàáâãäåæçèéêëìíîïðñòóôõö÷øùúûü²þÿ ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/7 "2006-03-09T05:41:21Z")
Make sure NUM LOCK key = “on.” I’m long accustomed to typing special characters that way using Unicode, but now that foreign writing systems are easily accessible on today’s systems thanks to Unicode, I can never memorize all the codes to type. So I just use Character Map. That’s how I was able to post in Sanskrit Devanagari for the first time just now. Character Map rocks now that it’s Unicode-enabled! ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/8 "2006-03-09T05:42:15Z")
Well what’s up with that? It does not work for me. On my home coputer. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/9 "2006-03-09T05:47:04Z")
It does not work from my work laptop. Perhaps I should fire up the alternate top secrete backup window 2000 computer or my wife’s laptop. Perhaps my dog’s phsycic energy is messing with things? Grendel stop that! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/10 "2006-03-09T06:11:30Z")
I’m biting my tongue, to keep from suggesting that you get a . . . you know, the “M-word.” (hee-hee) ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/11 "2006-03-09T06:12:22Z")
é how about that. I uninstalled the google toolbar and things started wroking. Google must have screwed up and set the do evil bit, bastards. Thanks for all the help guys. I did fire up the wife’s laptop where I don’t install this sort of stuff and it worked with IE. €‚ƒ„à…†#ÿàßÖ look at them things.± thats a good one. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/12 "2006-03-09T06:15:48Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’m biting my tongue, to keep from suggesting that you get a . . . you know, the “M-word.” > > (hee-hee) What windows Millenium Edition? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/13 "2006-03-09T06:23:14Z")
There is a windows-friendly freeware program called Allchars which enables the ctrl-a-’ \> á (etc.) I use it and recommend it. I’m not sure whether linking to the homepage would constitute disallowed promotions but google and ye shall find. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/14 "2006-03-09T06:38:06Z")
> [@Dr. Drake](#): > > There is a windows-friendly freeware program called Allchars which enables the ctrl-a-’ \> á (etc.) I use it and recommend it. I’m not sure whether linking to the homepage would constitute disallowed promotions but google and ye shall find. é ö ï ì pretty cool it works with google toolbar installed. I think there is no problem in directly linking to a [website](http://allchars.zwolnet.com/) that directly addresses the question. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/15 "2006-03-09T06:51:00Z")
Or you could set the keyboard to US-International, which is what I have done. It acts similarly to AllChars (from a cursory reading about that, anyway) but it doesn’t require the Ctrl key to be pressed first. See [here](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306560), [here](http://tlt.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/codeint.html), or [here](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/97738). ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/16 "2006-03-09T06:53:55Z")
Oh, and I should have added that for me, this is the éà§ïêst way to tÿþé all §ôrts of àçÇeñtêð characters. It comes in really handy when I have to type quite a bit in Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/17 "2006-03-09T06:55:14Z")
This question pops up every few months or so. Anyway, here is a special character chart: [http://www.1728.com/altchar.htm](http://www.1728.com/altchar.htm) which is on my website. For those having trouble with special characters, remember to use the number keypad and _not_ the numbers that are above the “QWERTYUIOP” row on the keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/18 "2006-03-09T14:25:11Z")
Looking into this some more I found > [@](#): > > Any AccessKey not already bound in a page (or used to invoke a Firefox menu), will bring keyboard input focus to the Google Toolbar search field. At least on a Windows system that means Alt+something puts you in the google bar. The mac equivalent is probably Command+something. I use Alt+§ (a very rarely used key that sits right below the escape key on Swedish keyboards). [http://ecmanaut.blogspot.com/2006/02/google-toolbar-keyboard-tips.html](http://ecmanaut.blogspot.com/2006/02/google-toolbar-keyboard-tips.html) This messes up trying to type the alt characters into browser fields. ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/19 "2006-03-09T14:32:02Z")
What’s the shortcut for infinity or sqrt? Alt+236 or Alt+252 don’t seem to work for me. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645/20 "2006-03-09T14:45:30Z")
This website (the virtual keyboard) [http://www.gate2home.com/?lang=he&sec=2](http://www.gate2home.com/?lang=he&sec=2) comes in handy if you want to type in a certain language. You choose a language from the drop-down and you will see displayed on the screen a standard keyboard layout for that language. Helps when you want to type short amounts of text in a different language. I have used it successfully on my Windows XP system at work, but not on my Macintosh (OS X 10.4) at home. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typing-special-characters-on-computers/347645.md?page=2)