Typing special characters and accents

How to type the euro symbol, a capital « ç », a « œ », an accent on a capital letter, the copyright sign, a foreign letter, an emoji, or a character not found on the keyboard? These special characters and accents that are not directly available on the keys give many people trouble: they give up, write « capital E without an accent » for lack of knowing how, or go look for the character elsewhere to copy it. Yet, there are simple methods to type almost any character, on a computer as well as on a mobile device: long press on a key, shortcuts, character table, voice dictation… Let’s see the different methods depending on your device, and how to never be blocked by a missing character again.

Why some characters are not on the keyboard

Let’s understand why some characters are missing; this helps to know how to obtain them. A LIMITED keyboard: a keyboard has a limited number of keys; it cannot display all possible characters; hence the missing ones; logical. The most FREQUENT characters: the keyboard shows the most common characters of your language; the less frequent ones are « hidden »; a matter of space; normal. Accents on CAPITALS: « É », « À », « Ç »; no direct key, but they EXIST and can be typed (contrary to popular belief); accessible (we’ll come back to this); important. SYMBOLS: €, ©, ®, ™, °, µ, etc.; useful but not all on the keys; need to know how to type them; useful. FOREIGN letters: ñ, ü, ø, æ, etc.; from other languages; accessible through methods; versatile. LIGATURES: « œ », « æ »; two linked letters; no direct key but possible; useful in French (« cœur », « œuf »). EMOTICONS: 😊, ❤️; mostly on mobile, a dedicated keyboard; to know; expressive. The MYTH of the impossible: many believe that you « can’t » type accents on capitals or such a symbol; it’s false; there’s always a method; be disillusioned. The GOOD news: almost any character can be typed with the right method; you just need to know it; reassuring; accessible. Depending on the DEVICE: methods differ between computer and mobile; we’ll see both; adapt; useful. In summary, some characters are not on the keyboard for a simple reason: a keyboard has a LIMITED number of keys and can only display the most FREQUENT characters of your language. The others — the accents on CAPITALS (« É », « À », « Ç »), the SYMBOLS (€, ©, ®, ™, °, µ), the FOREIGN letters (ñ, ü, ø), the LIGATURES (« œ », « æ », useful in French for « cœur » or « œuf »), the EMOTICONS — are simply « hidden », but they EXIST and can be typed. You need to get rid of a persistent MYTH: many believe that you « can’t » put an accent on a capital or type such a symbol — it’s FALSE. The good news: almost any character can be typed with the right METHOD, you just need to know it (and methods differ slightly between computer and mobile). Let’s see these methods.

How to type special characters, on computer and mobile

Here are the main methods depending on your device. On MOBILE: the LONG PRESS: press and hold a key (for example « e »); variants appear (é, è, ê, ë); slide to choose; the queen method on mobile; simple. On mobile: SYMBOLS: tap the « ?123 » key then « =< » to access symbols (€, ©, etc.); explore these keyboards; useful. On mobile: EMOTICONS: tap the emoji icon on the keyboard (often a smiley); choose the emoji; expressive; practical. On computer: HOLD the key: on some systems, holding a letter displays its accented variants (like on mobile); to test; simple. On computer: KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS: key combinations produce characters (accents, symbols); to memorize for frequent ones; effective. On computer: the CHARACTER TABLE: a system tool lists all characters to insert; the complete catalog; for the rare ones; useful. On computer: the EMOTICON/SYMBOL SELECTOR: a shortcut opens a panel of emojis and symbols to insert; practical; to know; useful. VOICE DICTATION: dictate the text (the device automatically adds accents); bypass the keyboard; clever; useful. COPY-PASTE: find the character (in a text, by searching) and copy it; the universal backup solution; always possible; practical. The AUTOCORRECTOR: often, typing « ca » or « oe » is corrected (« ça », « œ »); let the device help; automatic; useful. In summary, there are several methods to type special characters, depending on your device. On MOBILE, the queen method is the LONG PRESS: hold your finger on a key (for example « e ») and its accented variants appear (é, è, ê, ë) — slide to choose; for symbols, tap « ?123 » then « =< », and for emojis, the emoji icon on the keyboard. On COMPUTER: some systems also display variants by HOLDING a letter; there are KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS (key combinations) to memorize for frequent characters; a CHARACTER TABLE (system tool listing all characters) for the rarest ones; and an EMOTICON and SYMBOL SELECTOR that can be opened with a shortcut. Two universal and very practical methods: VOICE DICTATION (dictate, the device automatically adds accents) and COPY-PASTE (find the character somewhere and copy it: the backup solution that always works). Finally, the AUTOCORRECTOR often does the work (typing « oe » becomes « œ »). With these methods, no character will resist you.

The two reflexes that unlock everything: the long press on mobile, and copy-paste (or dictation) as a universal backup. Faced with a character you can’t find, two simple methods are enough to unlock the situation in the vast majority of cases — no need to memorize dozens of complicated shortcuts. First reflex, on MOBILE: the LONG PRESS. This is by far the simplest and most powerful method on phones and tablets, and it is too little known. The principle: instead of simply tapping a key, HOLD your finger on it for a second. Like magic, a small menu appears with all the VARIANTS of that letter. A few examples: long press on « e » → é, è, ê, ë; long press on « a » → à, â, ä, á; long press on « c » → ç; long press on « o » → ô, ö, œ, ø; long press on « n » → ñ; long press on « – » or other keys → punctuation variants; long press on certain numbers or symbols → associated symbols. You then just need to SLIDE your finger to the desired variant and release. This technique gives access to almost all accents and special letters, in one gesture — and it also works for ACCENTED CAPITALS (activate the capital first, then long press). Once this reflex is acquired, you will almost never be stuck on mobile. Second reflex, universal: COPY-PASTE (and DICTATION). For cases where the long press is not enough (a rare symbol, a very specific character), or on a computer if you don’t know the shortcut, two backup solutions always work. COPY-PASTE: find the desired character somewhere — in an existing text, by searching online (type its name: « euro symbol », « capital c with cedilla »), or in a character table — then SELECT it, COPY it, and PASTE it where you want. This is the all-purpose method: it works for any character, on any device. VOICE DICTATION: another foolproof trick, especially for accents — instead of typing, DICTATE your text (via the keyboard’s microphone): the device transcribes while automatically adding accents (it will write « français », « être », « ça » correctly). Practical for writing quickly and with proper accents, especially on mobile. A bonus that often helps without you thinking about it: the AUTOCORRECTOR. On most devices, it corrects and accents automatically: type « ca va » and it suggests « ça va », type « coeur » and it puts « cœur ». Let it work. In summary, remember two reflexes that unlock the vast majority of situations: on MOBILE, the LONG PRESS on a key (hold to see the accented and special variants appear, then slide to choose — the queen method, including for accented capitals); and as a universal backup, COPY-PASTE (find the character somewhere and copy it: works for everything, everywhere) or VOICE DICTATION (dictate, the accents are added automatically). With these two reflexes, plus the automatic corrector that helps you in the background, you will never really be stuck by a missing character.

You need to type “Café” on your smartphone. First, press and hold the “e” key to see the accented variants appear. Slide to select “é”. Then, to type the capital “É”, press the shift key to activate capital letters, then press and hold the “e” key again and slide to select “É”. For the euro symbol, tap the “?123” key, then the “€” symbol in the symbols keyboard.

The most useful special characters in everyday life

Here are the characters that come up most often and how to obtain them. Accents on CAPITALS: « É », « À », « Ç »; they EXIST (contrary to popular belief); long press (mobile), shortcut or table (computer); to use (French requires them); important. The LIGATURE « œ »: « cœur », « œuf », « sœur »; long press on « o », or type « oe » (often corrected); the real « œ »; useful. The EURO symbol « € »: keyboard shortcut or symbols keyboard (mobile); for prices; common; useful. The CEDILLA « ç »: often on the French keyboard, otherwise long press on « c »; « ça », « français »; common; useful. The QUOTATION MARKS « « » »: the real French quotation marks; long press on quotation mark, or corrector; more refined; useful. The SYMBOLS ©, ®, ™: copyright, trademark; symbols keyboard, table, or shortcut; for mentions; useful. The DEGREE « ° »: « 20°C », « 1er »; symbols keyboard or shortcut; common; useful. FOREIGN letters: ñ, ü, ø; long press on the closest letter; for foreign words/names; useful. EMOTICONS: 😊, 👍; emoji keyboard (mobile), selector (computer); for messages; expressive. The MIDDLE DOT, dashes, etc.: various punctuation characters; long press, table; for specific needs; useful. In summary, here are the most useful special characters in everyday life and how to obtain them: the accents on CAPITALS (« É », « À », « Ç »: they exist! French requires them; by long press, shortcut, or table), the LIGATURE « œ » (« cœur », « œuf »: long press on « o » or type « oe » that the corrector transforms), the EURO symbol « € » (for prices), the CEDILLA « ç » (often on the French keyboard, otherwise long press on « c »), the real French QUOTATION MARKS « « » » (more refined), the symbols ©, ®, ™ (copyright, trademark), the DEGREE « ° » (« 20°C »), the FOREIGN letters (ñ, ü, ø: long press on the closest letter), the EMOTICONS (emoji keyboard on mobile, selector on computer), and various punctuation characters. The key point: none of these characters is « impossible » — each has its method. By knowing the two or three basic reflexes (long press, symbols keyboard, copy-paste), you can obtain all these common characters without difficulty, and you can finally write correct and refined French, including accented capitals.

Warning: accents on capitals are correct (and expected in French), methods vary depending on the device, and beware of fake characters that look alike. A few clarifications and points of attention to properly handle special characters. First point, an important correction: contrary to a persistent misconception, accents on CAPITALS are perfectly CORRECT and even EXPECTED in French. Many people, wrongly, think that « you don’t put accents on capitals » — it’s FALSE: in good French, you write « À bientôt », « Éducation », « Ça va », « État », with the accents. This belief comes from the time of typewriters and old keyboards that didn’t allow them easily. Today, these characters can be typed without problem (long press, shortcut, dictation, character table), and it is more refined and correct to use them. So don’t give up on an « É » under the pretext that it’s « not on the keyboard »: it is accessible, and it is expected. Second point: the METHODS vary depending on the device and system. What works on mobile (the long press) differs from computer shortcuts, which themselves vary from one system to another. Don’t be surprised if a method you saw somewhere doesn’t work exactly the same on your device: look for the equivalent for YOUR device. Fortunately, the UNIVERSAL methods (copy-paste, dictation, character table) work everywhere and help you out no matter the device. If in doubt about a specific character on your system, search « how to type [the character] on [your device] ». Third point: beware of FAKE characters that LOOK ALIKE. Some characters look similar but are different, which can cause problems: for example, don’t confuse the letter « O » and the number « 0 », the lowercase « l » and the « 1 », or use an exotic character instead of the right one. This is particularly important in technical contexts (passwords, codes, addresses, data) where a character that « looks like » but isn’t the right one can break everything. Similarly, when you copy-paste a character found somewhere, make sure it’s the RIGHT ONE (and not a weird variant). Use the real standard characters. Fourth point: beware of COMPATIBILITY in certain contexts. Most special characters and accents display fine everywhere today. But in certain old or restricted technical contexts (certain old systems, certain form fields, certain addresses), special characters or accented characters may cause problems or not be accepted: if a field refuses a character, it’s maybe because it only accepts simple characters. Adapt to the context. Fifth point: don’t OVERCOMPLICATE things unnecessarily: for rare characters that you only use once, copy-paste is often faster than looking for the exact shortcut; for those you type often, it’s worth learning the quick method (long press, shortcut). In summary: accents on CAPITALS are CORRECT and expected in French (the idea that « you don’t put them » is false: they are accessible, use them), the METHODS vary depending on the device (look for the one for YOUR system; universal methods — copy-paste, dictation, table — help you out everywhere), beware of fake characters that look alike (don’t confuse O and 0, l and 1; use the real standard characters, especially in passwords and codes), beware of COMPATIBILITY in certain restricted technical contexts, and adapt the method to the frequency of use (copy-paste for the rare, quick method for the frequent). With these guidelines, you handle special characters correctly and without bad surprises.

When typing a password, be careful not to confuse the letter “O” and the number “0”. Some systems may reject your password if you use the wrong character. Similarly, in a French document, make sure to use the real “œ” ligature (from long press on “o”) rather than a similar-looking character that might not display correctly in all systems.

Frequent questions

How to put an accent on a capital (É, À, Ç)?

It’s perfectly possible and even correct in French: on mobile, activate the capital then do a long press on the letter; on computer, use a shortcut, the character table, or dictation; or copy-paste the character. Let’s see. It’s POSSIBLE and correct: putting an accent on a capital is doable AND correct in French; the opposite idea is a myth; do it; important. On MOBILE, long press: activate the capital, then long press on the letter (é → É); the capital variants appear; slide; simple. On computer, SHORTCUT: keyboard shortcuts produce the accented capitals; depending on the system; to memorize for the frequent ones; effective. The CHARACTER TABLE: on computer, the « character table » tool lists É, À, Ç to insert; the catalog; to find them; useful. The DICTATION: dictate the text, the device puts the accented capitals correctly; bypass the keyboard; clever; practical. The COPY-PASTE: find « É » somewhere (or search for it) and copy it; the universal solution; always possible; backup. The CORRECTOR helps: sometimes, typing the word in capital adds the accent automatically; let the device correct; automatic; useful. Why it’s CORRECT: in good French, « À », « Éducation », « État » are written with an accent; it’s the norm; don’t give up; refined. The MYTH debunked: « you don’t put accents on capitals » comes from old machines; it’s outdated and false; put them; correct. The ADVICE: it’s possible and correct; on mobile, capital + long press on the letter; on computer, shortcut, character table, or dictation; or copy-paste; don’t give up on É, À, Ç, they are expected in French. In summary, putting an accent on a capital (É, À, Ç, Ê, È…) is perfectly POSSIBLE — and it must be clearly stated, it’s even CORRECT and expected in good French (the idea that « you don’t put accents on capitals » is a myth inherited from old typewriters). Here’s how to do it depending on your device. On MOBILE: it’s very simple with the long press. First activate the CAPITAL (Shift/arrow key), then do a LONG PRESS on the desired letter: the accented capital variants appear (long press on « E » in capital mode → É, È, Ê, Ë; on « A » → À, Â; on « C » → Ç). Slide to the one you want. On COMPUTER, several options: KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS exist to produce accented capitals (they vary depending on the system; look for those of your device and memorize the most frequent ones); the CHARACTER TABLE (a system tool) lists all these characters, which you can insert; and VOICE DICTATION automatically adds them if you dictate your text. And of course, the UNIVERSAL method that always works: COPY-PASTE (find the « É » character somewhere — in a text, or by searching online — and copy it). Often, the AUTOCORRECTOR does the work all by itself by accenting the words. The essential to remember: never GIVE UP on an accent on a capital under the pretext that it’s « not on the keyboard »: it is perfectly accessible (especially by long press on mobile), and it is part of correct French orthography. Writing « A bientot » instead of « À bientôt » is an avoidable mistake in a few seconds.

How to type a really rare character that I can’t find anywhere?

Two universal methods will save you: the character table of your system (which lists all existing characters) and copy-paste (search for the character online by its name, then copy it); these methods work for any character. Let’s see. The CHARACTER TABLE: your system has a « character/character map » tool listing ALL existing characters; look for yours, insert it; the complete catalog; powerful. SEARCH for the character online: type its name or description in a search engine (« symbol X »); you’ll find it; identify it; effective. The COPY-PASTE: once found (online, in a text), copy it and paste it; works for ANY character; the universal solution; foolproof. The EMOTICON/SYMBOL SELECTOR: on computer, a panel of emojis and symbols (by shortcut) contains many characters; explore it; useful. Search by CHARACTER NAME: each character has a name; searching by its name helps to find it; precise; useful. The CHARACTER CODES: for experts, there are codes (Unicode) to insert a specific character; advanced method; optional; to go further. SAVE the character: if you use it often, keep it somewhere to easily copy it; a reminder; clever; practical. VERIFY that it’s the right one: make sure you have the right character (not a similar variant); especially for a specific use; verify; cautious. The DICTATION for words: for a word with special characters, dictation can help; bypass; clever; useful. The ADVICE: two universal methods; the character table of your system (which lists everything) and copy-paste (search for the character online by its name, then copy it); they work for any character, even the rarest; verify that it’s the right one. In summary, to type a really RARE character that you can’t find on any key or by long press, two UNIVERSAL methods will save you for sure — they work for absolutely any existing character. First method: the CHARACTER TABLE of your system. All computers have a tool (often called « character table », « character map » or « character viewer ») that lists the ENTIRETY of existing characters, classified by categories. Open it, look for the desired character (you can often search by its name or browse the categories), and insert it or copy it. It’s the complete catalog of all imaginable characters. Second method, even simpler: COPY-PASTE from an online search. If you don’t know the exact name of the character, DESCRIBE it in a search engine (for example « up arrow symbol », « Greek letter alpha », « degree symbol », « heart character »): you’ll almost always find the character displayed somewhere. You just need to SELECT it, COPY it, and PASTE it where you need it. This method is foolproof and works for everything, on any device. A few additional tips: on computer, the EMOTICON and SYMBOL SELECTOR (openable by a shortcut) already contains many characters; for advanced users, there are CODES (Unicode) allowing to insert a specific character by its code; and if you USE OFTEN a rare character, KEEP it noted somewhere (in a file, a note) to easily copy it in the future. A point of vigilance: when you copy a character, VERIFY that it’s the RIGHT ONE (and not a similar variant), especially for a specific use. With the character table and copy-paste, no character, no matter how rare, will resist you.

Is it serious to write without accents and special characters?

It’s not « serious », but it’s less correct and less refined: in French, accents are part of the spelling (and sometimes change the meaning), and it’s now easy to type them; might as well write correctly, especially in a refined or professional context. Let’s see. Not « SERIOUS », but: writing without accents remains understandable; it’s not dramatic; but it’s less correct; nuanced. Accents are part of SPELLING: in French, accents are part of spelling, not an option; omitting them is a form of error; to know; correct. The MEANING sometimes changes: some accents change the meaning (« a »/« à », « ou »/« où », « sur »/« sûr ») ; omitting them can create ambiguity; useful for clarity; important. More REFINED with: a well-accented text looks more refined, serious, professional; image matters; enhancing; useful. Easy TODAY: typing accents is easy (long press, dictation, corrector); the excuse « it’s complicated » no longer holds; might as well do it right; accessible. Depending on the CONTEXT: a quick message between friends? not serious; a pro email, a document? better to refine; adapt to the stakes; sensible. The CORRECTOR can help: let the corrector add the accents; without effort, the text is correct; use it; practical. Adopt the GOOD habit: writing with accents becomes a reflex (especially with long press and dictation); the habit makes it natural; adopt; lasting. No GUILT or negligence: don’t feel guilty about a forgotten accent, but aim for the correct when it counts; the balance; reasonable. The ADVICE: not « serious » but less correct and refined; accents are part of French spelling (and sometimes change the meaning), and it’s easy to type them today; might as well write correctly, especially in a refined or professional context; let the corrector help you. In summary, writing without accents and special characters is not « serious » in the dramatic sense — a text without accents remains generally understandable — but it’s objectively less CORRECT and less REFINED, and there are good reasons to make the effort. First, in French, accents are PART of SPELLING: they are not optional decorations, but elements of correct writing; omitting them is a form of mistake. Then, some accents CHANGE the MEANING of a word: « a » (verb to have) and « à » (preposition), « ou » (choice) and « où » (place), « sur » and « sûr », « des » and « dès »: omitting them can create ambiguities or harm clarity. Finally, a well-accented text simply looks more REFINED, serious, and professional — which matters for your image, especially in a formal context. The most important to understand: today, typing accents is EASY (long press on mobile, voice dictation, and the automatic corrector that often adds them all by itself); the old excuse « it’s complicated » no longer holds. That said, adapt to the CONTEXT and the stakes: in a quick message between friends, a forgotten accent has no importance; but in a professional email, an official document, a CV, a letter, it’s better to refine the spelling, accents included. The right balance: don’t GUILT yourself for a forgotten accent in an informal message, but adopt the good HABIT of writing correctly when it counts — all the more so as it’s now easy and often automatic. Let the corrector help you, adopt long press and dictation, and writing correct and accented French will become a natural reflex, without effort. In short: no drama, but might as well write well when you can do it so easily.

What to remember

Typing special characters and accents that are not directly available on the keyboard — the euro symbol, a « É » capital, a « œ », the copyright, a foreign letter, an emoji — is not complicated once you know the right methods. You first need to debunk a MYTH: none of these characters is « impossible » to type, and especially the ACCENTS on CAPITALS (É, À, Ç) are perfectly correct and even EXPECTED in French (the idea that « you don’t put them » is false, inherited from old typewriters). Two reflexes unlock the vast majority of situations. On MOBILE: the LONG PRESS — hold your finger on a key to see its accented and special variants appear (long press on « e » → é, è, ê, ë; on « o » → ô, œ, ø; on « c » → ç), then slide to choose; it also works for accented capitals (activate the capital first). As a universal backup: COPY-PASTE (find the character somewhere or search for it online by its name, then copy it: works for everything, everywhere) and VOICE DICTATION (dictate, the accents are added automatically). On COMPUTER, you also have KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS (to memorize for frequent characters), the CHARACTER TABLE (which lists absolutely all existing characters, for the rarest ones) and the emoji and symbol selector. And in the background, the AUTOCORRECTOR often does the work all by itself (typing « oe » becomes « œ », « ca » becomes « ça »). A few points of attention: the methods VARY depending on the device (look for the one for YOUR system; universal methods help you out everywhere), beware of fake characters that look alike (don’t confuse O and 0, l and 1, especially in passwords and codes: use the real standard characters), and beware of compatibility in certain restricted technical contexts. Finally, on the question of whether to make the effort: it’s not « serious » to forget an accent in an informal message, but accents are part of French spelling (and sometimes change the meaning: « a »/« à », « sur »/« sûr »); as it’s now easy to type them, might as well write correctly, especially in a refined or professional context. In short, with the long press on mobile, copy-paste, and dictation as a backup, plus the corrector that helps you, you will never be blocked by a missing character again — and you will finally write correct and refined French, including accented capitals. The next time a character seems « unfindable », remember: there is a simple method, and it’s at your fingertips.