How to Type E with Accent (é, è, ê, ë, ē, ė, ę, ě): Windows, Mac, Word & Mobile Shortcuts

Master E-Accent Keyboard Shortcut Matrix (All Variations)

The letter E is the most frequently accented vowel in the entire Latin writing system. It appears with all major diacritics across French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, and Hawaiian. Below is your complete cross-platform reference table:

How to Type E with Accent on Windows (5 Methods)

Windows personal computers offer multiple hardware and software pathways to insert E with accent marks:

Method 1: Windows Alt Codes (Numeric Keypad)

Using the separate 10-key numeric keypad on the right side of your keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type the corresponding number:

• é (Acute): Alt + 130 or Alt + 0233 | É (Capital): Alt + 144 or Alt + 0201
• è (Grave): Alt + 138 or Alt + 0232 | È (Capital): Alt + 0200
• ê (Circumflex): Alt + 136 or Alt + 0234 | Ê (Capital): Alt + 0202
• ë (Umlaut): Alt + 137 or Alt + 0235 | Ë (Capital): Alt + 0203
• ē (Macron): Alt + 0275 | ę (Ogonek): Alt + 0281 | ě (Caron): Alt + 0283

Method 2: US-International Keyboard Layout (Fastest Typing Method)

If you enable the US-International Keyboard layout in Windows Settings:

Method 3: Windows Emoji & Symbol Panel (Win + .)

• Press Win + . (Windows Key + Period) or Win + ;.
• Click the Symbols (Ω) icon at the top → click Latin Symbols → click your desired E-accent character.

How to Type E with Accent on Mac (macOS)

Apple macOS provides the smoothest native diacritics system for E accents:

Method 1: Option Key Combinations

Method 2: Press-and-Hold Accent Menu (Built-in on macOS)

On any Mac keyboard, press and hold down the letter e (or Shift + e for capital). A numbered popup overlay will appear showing: 1: é, 2: è, 3: ê, 4: ë, 5: ē, 6: ė, 7: ę. Press the corresponding number key on your keyboard to insert it immediately.

How to Type E with Accent in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Excel

Microsoft Word Shortcuts

• é (Acute): Press Ctrl + ' (Apostrophe), release, then press e. For capital É, hold Shift when pressing E.
• è (Grave): Press Ctrl + ` (Backtick), release, then press e.
• ê (Circumflex): Press Ctrl + Shift + ^ (Number 6), release, then press e.
• ë (Umlaut): Press Ctrl + Shift + : (Colon), release, then press e.

Microsoft Excel Formulas

In Excel formulas and data transformations, dynamically output E-accent characters using UNICHAR:

• =UNICHAR(233) outputs é | =UNICHAR(201) outputs É
• =UNICHAR(232) outputs è | =UNICHAR(200) outputs È
• =UNICHAR(234) outputs ê | =UNICHAR(202) outputs Ê
• =UNICHAR(235) outputs ë | =UNICHAR(203) outputs Ë
• =UNICHAR(275) outputs ē | =UNICHAR(281) outputs ę | =UNICHAR(283) outputs ě

How to Type E with Accent on iPhone, iPad & Android

iOS (Apple iPhone and iPad)

• Press and hold down the letter e on the virtual touchscreen keyboard.
• A horizontal bubble menu will appear displaying: é, è, ê, ë, ē, ė, and ę.
• Slide your finger to the accent you need and lift to insert. For capital accented E, tap Shift first, then press and hold E.

Android (Google Gboard & Samsung Keyboard)

• On Gboard and Samsung keyboards, press and hold down the e key.
• Slide your thumb across the popup row to select your accented letter.

Linguistic, Historical & Grammatical Significance of E-Accent Marks

The diacritical marks applied to the letter E govern phonetic quality, syllabic rhythm, grammatical inflection, and etymological heritage across world languages:

French: The Four Master E-Accents (Aigu, Grave, Circonflexe, Tréma)

In the French language, the unaccented letter 'e' is frequently pronounced as a weak schwa /ə/ or remains completely silent at the ends of words (e caduc). The four French accents radically alter its pronunciation:

• Accent Aigu (é): Represents the close-mid front unrounded vowel (/e/), similar to the 'ay' sound in English say without the trailing glide (e.g. été "summer", école "school", café, clé). It also marks past participles in first-group verbs (e.g. parler → parlé).
• Accent Grave (è): Represents the open-mid front unrounded vowel (/ɛ/), similar to 'e' in English bed (e.g. père "father", mère "mother", très "very", fidelité). It also differentiates homographs (e.g. dès "as soon as" vs des "some").
• Accent Circonflexe (ê): Represents a historical vowel lengthening resulting from the elision of an 's' in Old French etymology (e.g. fête from Latin festa / Old French feste, forêt from foreste, être from estre, ancêtre from ancestre). Phonetically, it is pronounced as an open /ɛ/.
• Tréma (ë): Represents a diaeresis mark placed over the second of two consecutive vowels to indicate that each vowel must be pronounced in a separate syllable (hiatus), preventing diphthongization (e.g. Noël "Christmas" pronounced /nɔ.ɛl/, coïncidence, maïs, Citroën).

Spanish: The Acute Accent (Acento Agudo — é)

In Spanish, the acute accent on é serves two critical functions:

• Phonetic Syllabic Stress: Marks irregularity against the natural stress rules (e.g. café, bebé, inglés). It also forms past tense preterite endings for -ar verbs (e.g. hablar → hablé "I spoke").
• Diacritical Homograph Tilde: Distinguishes monosyllabic homographs (e.g. él "he" pronoun vs el "the" masculine article, sé "I know / be" vs se reflexive pronoun, té "tea" vs te "you").

Italian: Grave vs Acute Contrast (è vs é)

Italian orthography maintains a strict grammatical and phonetic distinction between grave and acute E:

• Grave (è): Represents the open vowel /ɛ/. Grammatically, è means "is" (third-person singular of essere, derived from Latin est), distinguishing it from the unaccented conjunction e ("and", derived from Latin et). Other examples: caffè, tè, cioè.
• Acute (é): Represents the closed vowel /e/ in compound words ending in stressed syllables (e.g. perché "why/because", poiché "since", finché "until", benché "although").

Portuguese: Circumflex vs Acute (ê vs é)

• Circumflex (ê): Indicates a closed vowel /e/ in words like você ("you"), três ("three"), bebê ("baby"), mês ("month").
• Acute (é): Indicates an open vowel /ɛ/ in words like café ("coffee"), pé ("foot"), até ("until").

Czech & Slovak: The Caron E (ě / Ě)

In Czech, ě is known as e s háčkem. It is not merely an accented vowel; it palatalizes the preceding consonant:

• After d, t, n, it causes them to soften into /ɟ, c, ɲ/ (e.g. děkuji "thank you" pronounced /ɟɛkujɪ/).
• After m, it inserts an epenthetic /ɲ/ sound (e.g. město "city" pronounced /mɲɛsto/).
• After labials b, p, v, f, it inserts a palatal /j/ glide (e.g. pět "five" pronounced /pjɛt/).

Polish & Lithuanian: Ogonek (ę) and Dot (ė)

• Polish Ogonek (ę): Represents the nasalized vowel /ɛ̃/ (e.g. proszę "please", dziękuję "thank you", będę "I will be").
• Lithuanian Dot (ė): Represents the long close-mid front unrounded vowel /e:/ (e.g. tėvas "father", katė "cat").

Developer & Technical Reference (Unicode, HTML, CSS & LaTeX)

For software developers, web designers, and database architects, below is the complete technical character specification for all E-accent variations:

Frequently Asked Questions About Typing E with Accents

A to Z Accent Letters Hub & Related Diacritics Guides

Need to type other accented letters, umlauts, tildes, cedillas, or special characters? Explore our dedicated accent directories and interactive typing tools below: