The Hold-Key Method (Fastest Approach)
The quickest way to type an accent on iPhone or iPad is to hold down the letter you want to accent. Here’s how:
- Tap and hold the letter you want — for example, hold down “e”
- A small popup menu will appear showing all the accented versions of that letter (é, è, ê, ë, and so on)
- Slide your finger to the accent you want and release
That’s it. The whole thing takes about two seconds once you know it’s there.
Which letters have accent options? Most vowels and several consonants have accented versions available:
- a → á, à, â, ä, æ, ã, å
- e → é, è, ê, ë
- i → í, ì, î, ï
- o → ó, ò, ô, ö, õ, ø
- u → ú, ù, û, ü
- n → ñ
- c → ç
- s → ß (on some keyboards)
What If the Popup Doesn’t Appear?
If you hold a key and nothing happens, a few things could be going on:
Key repeat is interfering Some third-party keyboards disable the hold-key popup. If you’re using a non-Apple keyboard app, switch back to the standard iOS keyboard and try again. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards and make sure the Apple keyboard is active.
You’re in a field that doesn’t support it A small number of apps use custom text inputs that don’t support the hold-key popup. If that’s the case, type the accent somewhere else — Notes works reliably — and copy-paste it where you need it.
You released too quickly The popup needs about half a second to appear. Try holding the key a little longer before sliding to your selection.
Takes 10 seconds. No spam.
Other Ways to Type Accents on iPhone and iPad
The hold-key method covers most situations, but there are a couple of alternatives worth knowing.
Add an International Keyboard
If you type in a specific language regularly, adding that language’s keyboard is the most efficient long-term solution. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard and select your language. Spanish, French, German, and most other European languages are available.
Once added, you can switch between keyboards by tapping the globe icon on the bottom left of your keyboard. The international keyboard will have accented characters built in as primary keys — no holding required.
Copy and Paste
For one-off characters you don’t type often, the simplest fallback is to copy the character from a reference page and paste it where you need it. It works in every app without exception.
Typing Accents for Specific Languages
If you’re working in a particular language, here are the characters you’ll reach for most:
Spanish: á, é, í, ó, ú, ñ, ü, ¿, ¡ The hold-key method covers all the accented vowels and ñ. For ¿ and ¡, hold the ? and ! keys respectively.
French: é, è, ê, ë, à, â, ç, î, ô, û All available via the hold-key method. Hold “c” for ç.
German: ä, ö, ü, ß Hold a, o, or u for the umlauts. For ß, hold the “s” key.
For complete guides to each language, see our posts on Spanish accents, French accents, and German accents.
Quick Reference
| What you want | How to get it |
|---|---|
| é, è, ê, ë | Hold “e” |
| á, à, â, ä | Hold “a” |
| ñ | Hold “n” |
| ç | Hold “c” |
| ü, ú, û | Hold “u” |
| ¿ | Hold “?” |
| ¡ | Hold “!” |
Tips for iPad Users
Everything above applies equally to iPad. A few extras worth knowing:
- If you’re using an external Bluetooth keyboard with your iPad, the hold-key popup won’t appear — physical keyboards don’t support it. Use the Option key shortcuts instead, which work the same as on a Mac.
- The floating keyboard (available on iPad by pinching the keyboard) supports the hold-key method the same as the standard keyboard.
- If you use Stage Manager with an external display, switch to the external keyboard accent methods covered in our Mac accents guide.
Typing accents on a different device? See our guides on how to type accents on Android, Windows, and Mac.
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