Accent marks and other special characters in Spanish are useful tools for pronunciation, distinguishing homonyms, understanding the speaker’s intent, and clarity. Understanding Spanish punctuation is a key component of learning Spanish, and learning how to type the characters will ensure you get your message across correctly.
With the help of this guide, you can learn how to type accent marks and punctuation marks in Spanish with ease, using a standard layout or a dedicated Spanish keyboard.
Table of Contents
Adding an international or Spanish keyboard
For those who write in Spanish (almost) exclusively, adding a Spanish keyboard configuration to your computer offers the most efficient way to incorporate Spanish accent marks and other special characters into your writing. Adapting to the new Spanish keyboard layout may take some getting used to at first, but the direct access to common Spanish characters like á, ñ and ü will ultimately boost your typing speed.
If you write in English and Spanish frequently but don’t want to adjust to a new keyboard layout, installing an international keyboard is your best bet. With this option, you’ll keep your usual keyboard but gain the ability to add international characters, which can help you learn the Spanish alphabet and improve your pronunciation.
Spanish keyboard on Windows
By adding a Spanish or international keyboard to your Windows operating system, you can quickly and accurately send emails and messages in Spanish without having to look up every special character.
To add a Spanish or international keyboard on Windows, follow these steps:
- Open Windows Settings.
- In Settings, click on Time & Language.
- Select Language & Region.
- Under the “Preferred languages” section, click on Add a language. Search for your desired language.
- To add a Spanish keyboard, search for “Spanish” and select your preferred variant. Click Next and then Install. To add the US International keyboard, search for “English” and select “English (United States).” Click Next, then Install.
- If you installed “English (United States)” for the international keyboard, click on “English (United States)” in the “Preferred languages” list and then click Language options. Under “Keyboards,” click Add a keyboard and select “United States – International.”
- Once installed, a language indicator (like “ENG” or “ESP”) will appear in your taskbar. Click on this indicator to see the available keyboards and select the one you want to use.
Spanish keyboard on a Mac
Here’s how to add either a dedicated Spanish keyboard layout or the US International keyboard layout to your macOS system:
- Go to your Apple menu.
- Select System Preferences.
- In the System Preferences window, click on Keyboard.
- Go to the Input Sources tab.
- Click + to add a new language. Search for your desired language.
- To add a Spanish keyboard, search for “Spanish” and select your preferred variant. Click Add. To add the US International keyboard, search for “English” and select “U.S. International – PC” from the list. Click Add.
- Once added, a language icon will appear in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Click on this icon to see the available keyboard layouts and select the one you want to use.
Mobile phone Spanish keyboards
Whether you’re texting or posting on social media, you’ll want to include special punctuation to clearly communicate what you’re trying to say and your tone. You may want to use the upside-down exclamation point in Spanish to add emphasis and emotion. Or you might need to add accent marks over vowels to convey the correct meaning of Spanish words, like papá (dad) vs. papa (potato).
If you use these special characters a lot on your phone, consider turning on the actual Spanish keyboard. This will give you direct access to accented vowels, upside-down punctuation, and more. As a bonus, you’ll get autocorrect and spellcheck that will improve your accuracy even further.
If you don’t want to add a new keyboard, all you have to do is press and hold a letter while you’re typing, and a little pop-up will show you all the accented choices.
iPhone
By adding a dedicated keyboard in Spanish to your iPhone, you’ll have direct access to all the special characters you need! Just follow these easy steps:
- Navigate to the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Keyboard.
- Tap Add New Keyboard.
- Scroll down and select Spanish. You can choose a specific region like “Spanish (Spain)” or “Spanish (Latin America)” if offered and preferred.
- Select Add to English (US) Keyboard.
- Tap Done.
Android
If you’re an Android user, you can follow these steps to add a Spanish keyboard to streamline your Spanish communication:
- Go to Settings.
- Scroll down and tap System.
- Tap Keyboard.
- Tap On-screen keyboard.
- Select your default keyboard.
- Tap Languages.
- Tap Add keyboard.
- Search for or scroll to Spanish and select your preferred variant.
- Tap Done.
Keyboard shortcuts to type in Spanish
Quick and easy keyboard shortcuts are a great solution if you want to know how to type Spanish accents on a keyboard. They’re perfect for those who occasionally want to include Spanish characters in their writing but aren’t comfortable using different keyboards.
PC keyboard shortcuts
These keyboard shortcuts work great on Microsoft Word and other Microsoft Office applications. They make it simple to include accented vowels, the ñ, and inverted punctuation marks, ensuring your Spanish writing is accurate and professional.
| Spanish Character | PC Keyboard Shortcut |
| Accented lowercase vowels | Press Ctrl + ‘ (apostrophe), then release and press the desired vowel (a, e, i, o, u). |
| Accented uppercase vowels | Press Ctrl + ‘ (apostrophe), then release and press Shift + the desired vowel (A, E, I, O, U). |
| ñ | Press Ctrl + ~ (tilde), then the n key. |
| Ñ | Press Ctrl + ~ (tilde), then release and press Shift + the N key. |
| ü | Press Ctrl + Shift + : (colon), then release and press u. |
| Ü | Press Ctrl + Shift + : (colon), then release and press Shift + U. |
| ¡ | Press Alt + Ctrl + Shift + ! (Press all four keys together). |
| ¿ | Press Alt + Ctrl + Shift + ? (Press all four keys together). |
Mac keyboard shortcuts
These keyboard shortcuts allow you to easily type accented vowels and other special characters on your Mac, like the upside down question mark in Spanish. This method is ideal for those who prefer not to alter their keyboard layout but still need to incorporate these characters regularly.
| Spanish Character | Mac Keyboard Shortcut |
| Accented lowercase vowels | Press Option + e, then release and press the desired vowel (a, e, i, o, u). |
| Accented uppercase vowels | Press Option + e, then release and press Shift + the desired vowel (A, E, I, O, U). |
| ü | Press Option + u, then release and press u. |
| Ü | Press Option + u, then release and press Shift + U. |
| ñ | Press Option + n, then release and press n. |
| Ñ | Press Option + n, then release and press Shift + N. |
| ¡ | Press Option + 1. |
| ¿ | Press Option + Shift + ? (Press all three keys together). |
Alt codes for Spanish punctuation and accents
If you want to know how to type in Spanish, alt codes are another trick to keep in your toolbox. Perfect for those who like to use technical shortcuts, alt codes consist of the Alt key and a three-digit number.
To type special characters using the Spanish alt codes below, make sure to use the numeric keypad (on the right side of your keyboard) to type the numbers while holding down the Alt key.
| Spanish Character | Alt Code |
| á | Alt + 0225 |
| é | Alt + 0233 |
| í | Alt + 0237 |
| ó | Alt + 0243 |
| ú | Alt + 0250 |
| ñ | Alt + 0241 |
| ü | Alt + 0252 |
| ¡ | Alt + 0161 |
| ¿ | Alt + 0191 |
How to type Spanish accents for occasional use
If you only need Spanish characters occasionally, or prefer not to use keyboard shortcuts or change layouts, you can either copy/paste the special character or use the “Insert” function in your Word Processor.
Using the ‘Insert’ function in Microsoft Word
To use the “Insert” function in Microsoft Word, follow these easy steps:
- Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
- Click Symbol, and then More Symbols.
- In the pop-up box, find the symbol you need (you can often find Spanish characters in the Latin Extended-A subset).
Using the ‘Insert’ function in Google Docs
You can easily insert special Spanish characters in Google Docs with these steps:
- Click on Insert in the top menu.
- Select Special characters.
- In the pop-up window, use the dropdown to select Latin. Then browse or search for the special character.
- You can also draw the character in the dedicated box to find what you need.
Master Spanish keyboard and layout with Rosetta Stone
When learning how to speak Spanish, you’ll want to practice writing in Spanish as well to solidify grammar rules and develop accuracy in spelling and accent placement. This dedication to accurate written Spanish will, in turn, significantly improve your conversational skills.
In addition to spoken conversations, Rosetta Stone offers a unique chat feature that offers real-time, practical context for typing in Spanish. In your next live chat session, you could be asking questions with upside-down question marks and accents like ¿Qué te gusta hacer? (What do you like to do?), or providing responses that include tildes like Tengo 20 años (I am 20 years old). With a little practice, you’ll get the hang of using the Spanish keyboard or your favorite shortcut method in no time!
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