How to Type L with Accent (ĺ, ľ, ļ, ł): Windows, Mac, Word & Mobile Shortcuts
Need to know how to type L with accent marks (ł, ľ, ĺ, ļ, ḷ, ḻ, ɬ, Ł, Ľ, Ĺ, Ļ, Ḷ, Ḻ, Ƚ) on your computer or phone? Use our 1-click copy chips below or follow our verified shortcuts for Windows Alt codes (Alt + 0322 / Alt + 0318), Mac Option keys (Option + l then l), Microsoft Word Unicode converter (0142 + Alt + X), Polish l, Slovak l/l, Latvian l, Catalan ?l, and our complete A to Z accent letters directory.
CLICK TO COPY L WITH ACCENTS INSTANTLY
Unicode: U+0142•Windows: Alt + 0322•Word: 0142 + Alt + X•Mac: Option + l, l•HTML: ł
The letter L with diacritical markings is central to Polish (l), Slovak (l, l), Latvian (l), Catalan (ŀl), Sanskrit IAST (ḷ), and Dravidian linguistics (ḻ). Below is your complete cross-platform reference table:
Character & Accent Name
Glyph
Windows Alt Code
Word Shortcut
Mac Shortcut
Language / Usage
Unicode / HTML
L with Stroke (Slash / Bar)
l / L
Alt+0322 / Alt+0321
Type 0142 then Alt+X
Opt+l, then l (ABC Ext)
Polish /w/ & Navajo /?/
U+0142 | ł
L with Caron (Hácek)
l / L
Alt+0318 / Alt+0317
Type 013E then Alt+X
Opt+v, then l (ABC Ext)
Slovak palatal lateral /?/
U+013E | ľ
L with Acute
l / L
Alt+0316 / Alt+0315
Type 013A then Alt+X
Opt+e, then l (ABC Ext)
Slovak long syllabic [l̩ː]
U+013A | ĺ
L with Cedilla (Comma Below)
l / L
Alt+0314 / Alt+0313
Type 013C then Alt+X
Opt+c, then l (ABC Ext)
Latvian palatal lateral /?/
U+013C | ļ
L with Middle Dot (Punt Volat)
ŀ / ŀ
Alt+0320 / Alt+0319
Type 0140 then Alt+X
Opt+Shift+9 (·)
Catalan ela geminada [l?]
U+0140 | ŀ
L with Underdot
ḷ / ḷ
Alt+7735 / Alt+7734
Type 1E37 then Alt+X
Character Viewer / Combining Underdot
Sanskrit vocalic ? / retroflex ?
U+1E37 | ḷ
L with Line Below
ḻ / ḻ
Alt+7737 / Alt+7736
Type 1E3B then Alt+X
Character Viewer / Combining Line Below
Tamil retroflex /?/ in Tami?
U+1E3B | ḹ
WINDOWS OS
How to Type L with Accent on Windows (5 Methods)
Windows personal computers offer multiple hardware and software pathways to insert L 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 4-digit code:
If you frequently write in Polish or need fast access to l, add the Polish (Programmers) layout in Windows Settings → Time & Language → Language & Region. Once activated:
Press Right Alt (AltGr) + L → types l immediately.
Press Right Alt + Shift + L → types capital L.
Method 4: Windows Emoji & Symbol Panel (Win + .)
Press Win + . (Windows Key + Period) or Win + ;.
Click the Symbols (Ω) icon at the top → navigate to Latin Symbols → click l or l.
APPLE MACOS
How to Type L with Accent on Mac (macOS)
Apple macOS provides native press-and-hold menus and ABC Extended dead keys for L accents:
Method 1: ABC Extended Keyboard Input
If you enable the ABC - Extended layout in macOS System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources:
Stroke (l): Press Option + l, release, then press l → gives l. (Capital L: Option + l, then Shift + L).
Caron (l): Press Option + v, release, then press l → gives l. (Capital L: Option + v, then Shift + L).
Acute (l): Press Option + e, release, then press l → gives l. (Capital L: Option + e, then Shift + L).
Cedilla (l): Press Option + c, release, then press l → gives l.
Middle Dot (·): Press Option + Shift + 9 → types the middle dot · for Catalan l·l.
Method 2: Press-and-Hold Accent Menu (Built-in on macOS)
On a Mac keyboard, press and hold down the letter l (or Shift + l for capital). When the diacritics bubble appears, press the corresponding number or click l.
Method 3: macOS Character Viewer (Ctrl + Cmd + Space)
Press Ctrl + Cmd + Space to open Character Viewer.
Search for l stroke or l caron, then double-click l or l.
OFFICE SUITE
How to Type L with Accent in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Excel
Microsoft Word Shortcuts
l (Stroke): Type 0142 then press Alt + X. For capital L: type 0141 + Alt + X.
l (Caron): Type 013E then press Alt + X. For capital L: type 013D + Alt + X.
l (Acute): Type 013A then press Alt + X. For capital L: type 0139 + Alt + X.
l (Cedilla): Type 013C then press Alt + X. For capital L: type 013B + Alt + X.
ŀ (Middle Dot): Type 0140 then press Alt + X.
ḷ (Underdot): Type 1E37 then press Alt + X.
Microsoft Excel Formulas
In Excel spreadsheets and formulas, dynamically output L-accent characters using UNICHAR:
How to Type L with Accent on iPhone, iPad & Android
iOS (Apple iPhone and iPad)
Press and hold down the letter l on the virtual touchscreen keyboard.
A popup bubble displaying l, l, l, and l will appear. Slide your finger across and lift to insert.
Android (Google Gboard & Samsung Keyboard)
On Gboard and Samsung keyboards, press and hold down the l key.
Slide your thumb across the popup row to select l, l, or l.
LINGUISTIC & GRAMMAR RULES
Linguistic, Historical & Grammatical Significance of L-Accent Marks
The letter L takes specialized diacritical modifications in Slavic, Baltic, Romance, and indigenous language families to represent distinct phonetic lateral and non-lateral consonants:
Polish Orthography: The Stroke L (l / L) & Walczenie
In the Polish alphabet (and also in Sorbian and Kashubian):
The Sound Change Walczenie: Historically, Old Polish l represented a "dark" velarized lateral approximant [?] (similar to the 'l' in English ball or Russian л). Over centuries, this sound underwent labialization (walczenie), transforming into the voiced labial-velar approximant /w/ (identical to English 'w' in water).
Phonemic Contrast with Clear L: Contrasts sharply with Polish unaccented l, which is a "clear" alveolar lateral approximant /l/ (often palatalized [lʲ] before 'i'). For example: lód (/lut/ "ice") vs łódź (/wud͡ʑ/ "boat").
Essential Polish Words: Found in Lódz (major Polish city), zloty (Polish currency), Wisla (Vistula River), czlowiek ("human"), milosc ("love"), maly ("small"), byl ("was"), and Warszawa.
Native American Navajo: In the Diné Bizaad (Navajo) alphabet, l represents the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative /?/ (similar to Welsh 'll' in Llanelli).
Slovak Orthography: Palatal L (l / L) & Long Syllabic L (l / L)
Slovak is one of the few languages that distinguishes two separate diacritically modified forms of L:
Slovak L with Caron (l / L): Represents the palatal lateral approximant /?/ (like Italian 'gli' in famiglia or Spanish 'll' in calle). In lowercase typography, the caron takes an apostrophe-like comma shape (l) rather than a wedge to avoid colliding with the tall vertical ascender of the letter. Common words: vela ("many / much"), ludia ("people"), nedela ("Sunday"), and Košice regional dialects.
Slovak L with Acute (l / L): In Slavic phonology, liquids (r, l) can act as syllable nuclei (syllabic consonants). Slovak marks length on syllabic 'l' using the acute accent (ĺ [l̩ː]), contrasting with short syllabic 'l' [l̩]. Found in words like stĺp ("pillar / column"), hĺbka ("depth"), kĺb ("joint"), and dĺžka ("length").
Latvian Orthography: Palatal Lateral (l / L)
In Latvian (a Baltic language):
Phonetic Value: The letter l represents the palatal lateral approximant /?/.
Comma Below vs Cedilla: Standard typography renders the diacritic as a small attached comma below the letter stem.
Essential Latvian Words: Found in loti ("very"), celš ("way / road"), vala ("open"), berninš, and zalš ("green").
Catalan Orthography: Ela Geminada (ŀl / ĿL)
In Catalan (spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands):
Geminate Lateral Consonant: The special combination l·l (or precomposed ?l / ?L, termed ela geminada) represents a geminate (doubled or prolonged) lateral approximant [l?].
Disambiguation from Palatal LL: In Catalan, standard ll represents the palatal lateral /?/ (e.g. lluna "moon", castell "castle"). Inserting the middle dot (punt volat) signals that each 'l' belongs to a separate syllable, pronounced distinctly as a doubled lateral: il·lusió ("illusion"), col·legi ("college"), paral·lel ("parallel"), intel·ligent ("intelligent"), and novel·la ("novel").
Sanskrit & Dravidian Linguistics (Ḷ / ḷ & Ḻ / ḻ)
In Indological romanization and South Asian linguistics:
Sanskrit IAST (ḷ / ḹ): Transliterates the vocalic liquid ṛ (syllabic vowel) and the Vedic retroflex lateral flap ḷ (/ɭ/), as found in Ṛgveda hymns (e.g., agnim īḷe purohitam).
Dravidian Tamil & Malayalam (ḻ / ழ): In Tamil transliteration (ISO 15919), ḻ transliterates the unique voiced retroflex approximant ழ (/ɻ/), famously occurring in the native name of the Tamil language: Tamiḻ (தமிழ்).
For software developers, web designers, database architects, and LaTeX typesetters, below is the complete technical character specification for all L-accent variations:
Character
Unicode Code Point
HTML Named Entity
HTML Decimal / Hex
CSS Escape
JavaScript / Python
l (Lowercase Stroke)
U+0142
ł
ł / ł
\0142
"\u0142"
L (Capital Stroke)
U+0141
Ł
Ł / Ł
\0141
"\u0141"
l (Lowercase Caron)
U+013E
None
ľ / ľ
\013E
"\u013E"
L (Capital Caron)
U+013D
None
Ľ / Ľ
\013D
"\u013D"
l (Lowercase Acute)
U+013A
None
ĺ / ĺ
\013A
"\u013A"
L (Capital Acute)
U+0139
None
Ĺ / Ĺ
\0139
"\u0139"
l (Lowercase Cedilla)
U+013C
ļ
ļ / ļ
\013C
"\u013C"
L (Capital Cedilla)
U+013B
Ļ
Ļ / Ļ
\013B
"\u013B"
ŀ (L with Middle Dot)
U+0140
None
ŀ / ŀ
\0140
"\u0140"
Ŀ (Capital L Middle Dot)
U+013F
None
Ŀ / Ŀ
\013F
"\u013F"
ḷ (Lowercase Underdot)
U+1E37
None
ḷ / ḷ
\1E37
"\u1E37"
Ḷ (Capital Underdot)
U+1E36
None
Ḷ / Ḷ
\1E36
"\u1E36"
ḻ (Lowercase Line Below)
U+1E3B
None
ḹ / ḻ
\1E3B
"\u1E3B"
Visual Guide: Typing accented L letters, Alt codes, and dead key shortcuts across all platforms
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions About Typing L with Accents
The Alt code for l (Polish L with stroke) is Alt + 0322, and for capital L it is Alt + 0321. For l (Slovak L with caron), use Alt + 0318 (capital L is Alt + 0317). For l (L with acute), use Alt + 0316 (capital L is Alt + 0315). For l (Latvian L with cedilla), use Alt + 0314 (capital L is Alt + 0313). For ŀ (Catalan middle dot L), use Alt + 0320 (capital Ŀ is Alt + 0319).
On macOS with the ABC Extended input source enabled, press Option + l, release, then press l to get l. For l (caron), press Option + v then l. For l (acute), press Option + e then l. For l (cedilla), press Option + c then l. Alternatively, press and hold the l key on your keyboard to reveal the diacritics popup menu.
In Microsoft Word on Windows, type the hexadecimal code 0142 and immediately press Alt + X to convert it to l. For capital L, type 0141 and press Alt + X. For l, type 013E and press Alt + X. For l, type 013A and press Alt + X. For l, type 013C and press Alt + X. For ŀ, type 0140 and press Alt + X.
In Polish orthography, the letter l represents the voiced labial-velar approximant /w/ (pronounced exactly like the English 'w' in water or win). It evolved from a historical velarized lateral [?] through a sound change known as walczenie. Essential Polish words include Lódz, zloty 'Polish currency', Wisla 'Vistula River', czlowiek 'human', milosc 'love', and Warszawa 'Warsaw'.
In Slovak, l represents the palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/ (like 'lli' in million), as in veľa 'many' and ľudia 'people'. To avoid collision with the tall letter stem, lowercase l uses an apostrophe-like comma diacritic. Slovak also features l (L with acute), which represents a long syllabic liquid [l̩ː], as in stĺp 'pillar' and hĺbka 'depth'.
In Catalan, the digraph l·l (or precomposed ?l, known as ela geminada) represents a geminate (prolonged or doubled) lateral consonant [l?], distinguishing words like col·legi 'college' and paral·lel 'parallel' from words with a single lateral [?].
For l use ł (U+0142); for L use Ł (U+0141); for l use ľ (U+013E); for L use Ľ (U+013D); for l use ĺ (U+013A); for L use Ĺ (U+0139); for l use ļ (U+013C); for ŀ use ŀ (U+0140); for ḷ use ḷ (U+1E37).
On iOS and Android touchscreen keyboards, press and hold down the letter l (or capital L). A popup bubble displaying l, l, l, and other regional variations will appear. Slide your finger across to select it and release.
A TO Z ACCENT LETTERS & DIACRITICS DIRECTORY
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:
