Typing Spanish accent marks correctly is essential for clear communication in Spanish. Whether you’re a student learning Spanish, a professional communicating with Spanish-speaking colleagues, or simply want to type proper Spanish on your devices, this guide covers everything you need to know about Spanish accents.
From understanding which words need accents to finding the fastest keyboard shortcuts for every device, you’ll learn how to type á, é, í, ó, ú, ñ, ü, ¿, and ¡ with confidence.
Spanish Accents at a Glance
Spanish uses several types of accent marks and special characters:
Acute accents (´): á, é, í, ó, ú
Tilde (~): ñ
Dieresis/Umlaut (¨): ü
Inverted punctuation: ¿, ¡
Unlike some languages with multiple accent types, Spanish primarily uses the acute accent on vowels, making it relatively straightforward once you learn the patterns.
Why Spanish Accents Matter
In Spanish, accent marks aren’t just decorative. They serve important grammatical functions:
Indicating stress:
Accents show which syllable to emphasize. Compare “papa” (potato) with “papá” (dad). The accent changes both pronunciation and meaning.
Distinguishing words:
Many Spanish word pairs differ only by an accent:
- si (if) vs. sí (yes)
- el (the) vs. él (he)
- tu (your) vs. tú (you)
- te (you/yourself) vs. té (tea)
- mi (my) vs. mí (me)
- se (himself/herself) vs. sé (I know)
Clarifying tense:
Accents distinguish verb tenses:
- hablo (I speak – present) vs. habló (he/she spoke – past)
- compro (I buy) vs. compró (he/she bought)
Omitting accents can completely change your sentence’s meaning, so it’s worth learning to type them correctly.
The Five Accented Vowels
Spanish uses acute accents on all five vowels. Here’s how to pronounce and type each one:
á (a with acute accent)
Pronunciation: Like the “a” in “father”
Example words: más (more), está (is), mamá (mom), sofá (sofa)
é (e with acute accent)
Pronunciation: Like the “ay” in “say”
Example words: café (coffee), José (Joseph), bebé (baby), inglés (English)
í (i with acute accent)
Pronunciation: Like “ee” in “see”
Example words: sí (yes), aquí (here), país (country), así (thus)
ó (o with acute accent)
Pronunciation: Like “o” in “go”
Example words: adiós (goodbye),ión (ion), José (Joseph),ución (solution)
ú (u with acute accent)
Pronunciation: Like “oo” in “food”
Example words: tú (you), menú (menu), Perú (Peru), según (according to)
Special Spanish Characters
ñ (n with tilde)
Pronunciation: Like “ny” in “canyon”
Example words: año (year), niño (boy), español (Spanish), mañana (tomorrow)
The ñ is uniquely Spanish and appears in thousands of common words. Never substitute a regular “n” for ñ, as it creates different words:
- ano (anus) vs. año (year)
- pena (shame) vs. peña (rock/crag)
ü (u with dieresis)
Pronunciation: Pronounced “oo” after g
Example words: pingüino (penguin), bilingüe (bilingual), vergüenza (shame)
The ü appears only after “g” and before “e” or “i” to indicate that the “u” should be pronounced. Without the dieresis, “gu” before “e” or “i” is pronounced like “g” in “go.”
¿ (inverted question mark)
Spanish questions begin with ¿ and end with ?
Examples:
- ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
- ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
¡ (inverted exclamation mark)
Spanish exclamations begin with ¡ and end with !
Examples:
- ¡Hola! (Hello!)
- ¡Qué bueno! (How great!)
How to Type Spanish Accents on Windows
Method 1: Alt Codes (Numeric Keypad)
Hold Alt and type the code on your numeric keypad:
Lowercase:
- á = Alt + 160
- é = Alt + 130
- í = Alt + 161
- ó = Alt + 162
- ú = Alt + 163
- ñ = Alt + 164
- ü = Alt + 129
Uppercase:
- Á = Alt + 0193
- É = Alt + 144
- Í = Alt + 0205
- Ó = Alt + 0211
- Ú = Alt + 0218
- Ñ = Alt + 165
- Ü = Alt + 154
Punctuation:
- ¿ = Alt + 168
- ¡ = Alt + 173
Method 2: US International Keyboard
This method lets you type accents by pressing the apostrophe (‘) followed by a vowel:
- Enable US International keyboard in Windows Settings
- Type apostrophe (‘) then the vowel: ‘a = á, ‘e = é, etc.
- For ñ: type tilde (~) then n
- For ü: type quotation mark (“) then u
This method is faster once you get used to it, as you don’t need to memorize codes.
Method 3: Character Map
- Search for “Character Map” in Windows
- Select the character you need
- Copy and paste it
This method works but is slower for frequent use.
How to Type Spanish Accents on Mac
Mac makes typing Spanish accents very intuitive with Option key combinations:
Accented Vowels
Hold Option + e, then press the vowel:
- Option + e, then a = á
- Option + e, then e = é
- Option + e, then i = í
- Option + e, then o = ó
- Option + e, then u = ú
ñ (n with tilde)
Option + n, then press n again = ñ
ü (u with dieresis)
Option + u, then press u again = ü
Inverted Punctuation
- ¿ = Option + Shift + ?
- ¡ = Option + 1
Uppercase Accented Letters
Use the same combinations but hold Shift when typing the vowel:
- Option + e, then Shift + A = Á
How to Type Spanish Accents on iPhone and iPad
iOS makes Spanish accents simple with press-and-hold:
Press and Hold Method
- Tap and hold any vowel key
- A popup menu appears with accented versions
- Slide to the accent you need and release
Quick access:
- Hold a → choose á
- Hold e → choose é
- Hold i → choose í
- Hold o → choose ó
- Hold u → choose ú
- Hold n → choose ñ
- Hold u → find ü in the options
- Hold ? → choose ¿
- Hold ! → choose ¡
Spanish Keyboard
Add the Spanish keyboard for better autocorrect:
- Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards
- Tap “Add New Keyboard”
- Select “Spanish”
- Toggle between keyboards using the globe icon 🌐
How to Type Spanish Accents on Android
Android uses the same press-and-hold method as iOS:
Press and Hold
- Press and hold the letter
- Accent options appear
- Slide to select the accent you need
Add Spanish Keyboard
- Settings → System → Languages & input
- Virtual keyboard → Gboard (or your keyboard)
- Languages → Add keyboard → Spanish
- Switch languages using the globe icon 🌐
How to Type Spanish Accents on Chromebook
Method 1: US International Keyboard
- Settings → Languages and inputs → Input methods
- Add “US International Keyboard”
- Type apostrophe then vowel: ‘a = á
- Type tilde then n: ~n = ñ
Method 2: Press and Hold (Touch Screen)
If your Chromebook has a touchscreen, tap and hold letters to access accents.
Method 3: Accent Menu
- Click the time in the bottom right
- Click Settings gear → Languages and inputs
- Enable on-screen keyboard
- Use the special characters menu
Quick Reference Tables
Spanish Accents by Platform
| Character | Windows (Alt Code) | Mac | iOS/Android | Chromebook |
| á | Alt + 160 | Option+e, a | Hold a | ‘a |
| é | Alt + 130 | Option+e, e | Hold e | ‘e |
| í | Alt + 161 | Option+e, i | Hold i | ‘i |
| ó | Alt + 162 | Option+e, o | Hold o | ‘o |
| ú | Alt + 163 | Option+e, u | Hold u | ‘u |
| ñ | Alt + 164 | Option+n, n | Hold n | ~n |
| ü | Alt + 129 | Option+u, u | Hold u | “u |
| ¿ | Alt + 168 | Option+Shift+? | Hold ? | n/a |
| ¡ | Alt + 178 | Option+1 | Hold ! | n/a |
Common Words That Need Accents
Learning which common words require accents helps you type more accurately:
Frequently Used Words with Accents
Greetings and basics:
- Hola (hello) – no accent needed
- Adiós (goodbye)
- Sí (yes)
- Más (more)
- Después (after)
- También (also)
Question words (always accented):
- Qué (what)
- Cómo (how)
- Cuándo (when)
- Dónde (where)
- Quién (who)
- Cuál (which)
- Por qué (why)
Common verbs:
- Está (is/are)
- Están (they are)
- Habló (spoke)
- Comió (ate)
- Bebió (drank)
Family words:
- Mamá (mom)
- Papá (dad)
- Bebé (baby)
Days that need accents:
- Sábado (Saturday)
- Miércoles (Wednesday)
Spanish Accent Rules
Understanding when to use accents helps you type correctly:
Rule 1: Words ending in vowel, n, or s
Stress falls on the second-to-last syllable. Add an accent if the stress is elsewhere.
- casa (house) – no accent needed
- sofá (sofa) – accent shows stress on last syllable
Rule 2: Words ending in consonants (except n or s)
Stress falls on the last syllable. Add an accent if stress is elsewhere.
- hablar (to speak) – no accent needed
- lápiz (pencil) – accent shows stress is not on last syllable
Rule 3: Question words always have accents
- qué, cómo, cuándo, dónde, quién, cuál, por qué
Rule 4: Breaking diphthongs
When i or u is stressed next to another vowel, it takes an accent:
- país (country)
- María (Maria)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t skip accents on question words:
Wrong: ¿Que hora es?
Right: ¿Qué hora es?
Don’t confuse similar words:
- Write “sí” (yes) not “si” (if) when you mean yes
- Write “tú” (you) not “tu” (your) for the pronoun
Don’t forget inverted punctuation:
Wrong: Cómo estás?
Right: ¿Cómo estás?
Don’t substitute n for ñ:
Wrong: Espanol
Right: Español
Tips for Typing Spanish Faster
Learn the patterns:
Question words always have accents. Past tense third-person verbs often have accents (habló, comió, vivió).
Use autocorrect:
Enable Spanish keyboard on your device. Autocorrect will add many accents automatically.
Create shortcuts:
In Word or your phone, create text shortcuts that automatically expand to accented words.
Practice common words:
Focus on words you use frequently: sí, más, está, qué, cómo.
Use Spanish spell check:
Most word processors and browsers can check Spanish spelling and flag missing accents.
Typing Spanish in Different Applications
Microsoft Word
- Enable Spanish language in Review → Language
- Use Insert → Symbol for occasional accents
- Set up AutoCorrect replacements for common words
Google Docs
- Go to File → Language → Spanish
- Use Tools → Preferences to set up substitutions
- Install Spanish keyboard for your system
Email and Social Media
- Use your device’s built-in Spanish keyboard
- Most email clients and social platforms fully support Spanish characters
- Accented characters count normally in character limits
Conclusion
Typing Spanish accent marks becomes second nature with practice. Whether you’re using Alt codes on Windows, Option key combinations on Mac, or press-and-hold on mobile devices, the methods are straightforward once you learn them.
For detailed platform-specific instructions, see our complete guides for Windows and Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android, and Chromebooks.
Key takeaways:
- Spanish uses five accented vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú)
- The ñ and ü are essential Spanish characters
- Accents change word meanings, so don’t skip them
- Every device has easy methods for typing accents
- Practice with common words to build speed
Remember: typing proper Spanish with correct accents shows respect for the language and ensures clear communication. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)