Spanish accents, ñ and ü

Spelling and status

The diaeresis makes the u pronounced in those combinations, as in vergüenza and pingüino. It is retained in capitals. A written acute is not added to every spoken stressed vowel: Spanish spelling rules determine when it is needed, including distinctions involving adjacent vowels. [19], [20], [21]

Distinctions to preserve

Keep n and ñ distinct. German umlaut terminology does not explain Spanish ü. The old spellings qüe and qüi are not a model for ordinary current Spanish, and poetic use of diaeresis has a separate purpose. A combining tilde follows n in storage; it is not the spacing ASCII tilde placed alongside it. [19], [20], [21], [1], [2]

Typing and text forms

Copying is exact; preview circles are excluded. Compare normalization forms.

Word for Windows

Select a hex code, then Alt+X; repeat for each scalar.

Mac and mobile

Hold a letter for supported variants; use Character Viewer on Mac or a language keyboard on mobile.

HTML

Use UTF-8 text or the numeric references in Details, in order.

Full typing instructions ·HTML, CSS and JavaScript entry ·Verified Alt codes.

Sources and method

Usage statements link to the authority that supports their scope. Character names, categories, combining classes and normalization results come from the pinned Unicode data. A canonical decomposition does not establish language membership or spelling frequency.

Source access date: 2026-09-14.

• [19] RAE and ASALE: Spanish alphabet. Alphabetic status of ñ; accented vowels are not additional alphabet letters.
• [20] RAE and ASALE: diéresis. Modern güe and güi, capitals, historical and poetic uses.
• [21] RAE and ASALE: written accents in vowel sequences. Spanish accent placement has spelling rules and is not inferred solely from an isolated vowel.
• [1] Unicode Character Database 17.0.0.
• [2] Unicode normalization, UAX #15.
• [9] CLDR 48.2 locale exemplars. Supplementary inventory checks against direct main and auxiliary exemplar sets. Exemplars do not establish full spelling or pronunciation rules.
• [10] Microsoft: Unicode character entry in Word.
• [11] Apple: enter characters with accent marks.
• [12] Google: use Gboard.
• [13] Unicode: fonts and keyboards FAQ.
• [14] HTML numeric character references.

Read the editorial method and inspect the underlying datasets.