How to Add Language Accent Marks in Microsoft Word

Adding accent marks or special characters from foreign languages in Word can seem daunting. But whether you’re writing in Spanish, French, German or another language, it’s easy to insert the correct accented letters, tildes, umlauts and other diacritical marks.

In this simple, step-by-step guide, you’ll learn multiple methods to type accent marks and special characters on Word across Windows, Mac, web and mobile.

Insert Accent Marks with Keyboard Shortcuts

The quickest way to add an accent is using keyboard shortcuts that insert the mark combined with the letter you want accented.

Here are the most common accent mark shortcuts in Word:

• Acute accent ( ́): Hold down Ctrl and press the apostrophe key ', then release both keys and type the letter to accent. For example:
  • Ctrl+’+e = é
  • Ctrl+’+u = ú
• **Grave accent ()**: Hold down ```Ctrl``` and press the grave accent key `` “, then release both keys and type the letter to accent. For example:
  • Ctrl+`+e = è
  • Ctrl+`+u = ù
• Circumflex (^): Hold down Ctrl and press the caret key ^, then release both keys and type the letter to accent. For example:
  • Ctrl+^+e = ê
  • Ctrl+^+u = û
• Tilde (~): Hold down Ctrl and press the tilde key ~, then release both keys and type the letter to accent. For example:
  • Ctrl+~+n = ñ
  • Ctrl+~+o = õ
• Umlaut ( ̈): Hold down Ctrl and press the semicolon key ;, then release both keys and type the letter to accent. For example:
  • Ctrl+;+u = ü
  • Ctrl+;+o = ö

Tip: Many other diacritical marks and special characters can be inserted with similar Ctrl + punctuation keyboard shortcuts in Word.

Insert Accent Marks with the Symbol Dialog

If you don’t have a keyboard with easy access to certain symbol keys, you can insert accent marks and special characters using Word’s Symbol dialog box:

1. Place your cursor where you want the symbol or accent mark inserted
2. Go to Insert > Symbol
3. Select the accent mark or symbol you want to insert
4. Click Insert and the symbol will appear in your document

Tip: Frequently used symbols and special characters can be saved to the Recently Used Symbols section for quick access.

Enable an International Keyboard Layout

If you regularly type in a foreign language, enabling an international keyboard layout for that language can save you time.

For example, on a Spanish keyboard layout:

• Typing followed by a vowel will add the acute accent automatically:+e = é
• Typing ~+n will insert ñ

To add a keyboard layout in Windows:

1. Go to Settings > Time & Language
2. Click Language then Add a language
3. Select the language and keyboard layout you want to add
4. Click the language on the list to set it as your Display language to see accent marks while typing

Now switch between keyboard layouts using the Windows key + Spacebar.

Tip: On Mac, go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources to manage keyboard layouts.

Use AutoCorrect for Common Accented Words

If you regularly type certain accented words and phrases, you can save time by adding them to AutoCorrect:

1. Go to File > Options > Proofing
2. Click AutoCorrect Options
3. Enter the word or phrase under Replace and the accented version under With
4. Click Add

Now whenever you type the original word or phrase, it will be replaced automatically with the accented version.

Dictate Text and Punctuation

If typing accent marks is a hassle, use Word’s dictation feature to add text by speaking instead.

To start dictating:

1. Click the Dictate button on the ribbon
2. Wait for the microphone icon to appear and prompt you to begin speaking
3. Start dictating your text aloud

Say “new line” or “new paragraph” for breaks. Add punctuation by saying “period”, “comma” etc.

Tip: View available dictation languages and voice commands for Word under the Dictate drop-down menu.

Troubleshooting Tips

Here are solutions to common issues when trying to add accent marks or special characters:

• Accent shortcuts not working? Make sure Caps Lock is off and Num Lock is on. Try using the numeric keypad to enter shortcuts instead of the text keyboard.
• Accented letters not displaying? The font you’re using may not support those characters. Change the text font to one that includes diacritical marks for your language, like Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman.
• Can’t find the symbol? If it’s not listed in the Symbol dialog box, change the font because not all fonts contain every symbol. You can also insert Unicode characters instead.
• Accents not autocorrecting properly? Make sure AutoCorrect is enabled in Word Options. Check that the accented words are spelled identically under both Replace and With.
• Dictation not working? Check that your microphone is set up properly under File > Options > Dictate. Also allow access to the microphone if prompted by your operating system.

Now that you know the basics, you can quickly and easily add accent marks and special characters in Word across Windows, Mac, web and mobile. Whether you’re writing business reports, academic papers or personal documents, proper foreign language punctuation has never been simpler.

Formatting Accent Marks

Once inserted, you can format accent marks and special characters just like regular text:

• Change font Select the text and modify the font face or size: Change font of accented text
• Alter color Highlight the accented letters and modify the text color: Accented text in different colors
• Bold, italicize or underline Embolden, italicize or underline accents along with the letter: ¡Hola amigo! ¿Cómo estás? Accented text formatted in Word
• Adjust position Use the Font dialog box to tweak the position of accents:
  1. Select the text
  2. Go to Home > Font Dialog Box Launcher
  3. Click Advanced and modify the superscript or subscript position under Position
  Position accents above or below letters

Customize Accent Mark Shortcuts

If you use certain accent marks or special characters frequently, you can create your own custom keyboard shortcuts:

1. Go to Insert > Symbol
2. Select a symbol and click Shortcut Key
3. Note the Ctrl+Alt+# combination and click Assign
4. Type the key combination to insert the symbol anywhere

Now just use your personalized shortcut to quickly insert symbols instead of digging through menus.

Create custom keyboard shortcuts

AutoCorrect Accented Words

You can also automate accent marks by creating AutoCorrect entries:

1. Go to File > Options > Proofing
2. Click AutoCorrect Options
3. Enter the base word under Replace and the accented word under With
4. Click Add

For example:

• Replace: fiance
• With: fiancé

Now typing “fiance” will automatically change to “fiancé” with the correct accent mark inserted.

Use Field Codes for Accents

If you need dynamic, automatically updating accent marks, you can insert them using field codes:

1. Press Ctrl+F9 to enclose field braces {} around the text
2. Type SYMBOL and the character code for the symbol needed
3. Press F9 to update the field and view the symbol

For example, {SYMBOL 205} displays é.

View Word symbol codes to find accent mark codes.

Field codes will update automatically if the symbol font changes.

Mastering Accent Marks in Microsoft Word

With this guide, you should now have all the tools needed to easily insert accent marks and special foreign language characters in Word.

The key options include:

• Keyboard shortcuts
• Symbol dialog box
• International keyboard layouts
• Dictation
• AutoCorrect
• Custom shortcuts
• Field codes

So whether you’re creating Spanish brochures, German research papers, French postcards or any other multilingual document, proper punctuation is just a few clicks or taps away.

With a little practice, adding accent marks can become second nature. Soon you’ll be creating perfectly punctuated foreign language documents with ease. ¡Buena suerte!