14 N With Accent Characters: How to Type Ñ, Ń, Ň, Ǹ and More

Copy the N you need below, or use the quick table to type it on your device without returning to this page.

---

N with accent marks to copy and paste

Copy-ready line: ñ Ñ ń Ń ň Ň ǹ Ǹ ņ Ņ ṅ Ṅ ṇ Ṇ

These are different Unicode letters, even when a small font makes two marks look similar. Copy the complete character rather than adding a loose accent above or below a plain N.

Fastest method by device

How to type ñ and Ñ on Windows

For a one-time Spanish ñ, turn on Num Lock, hold Alt, type 0241 on the numeric keypad, and release Alt. Use Alt+0209 for uppercase Ñ.

The digits must normally come from a separate number pad. If a laptop has only the number row above the letters, use Character Map or add a keyboard layout rather than trying shorter codes from random online lists.

Use United States-International

In Windows 11, open Settings → Time & language → Language & region, choose the language options, and add United States-International. Switch layouts with Windows key+Spacebar.

On that layout, press Shift+` to start the tilde, then press N. The first key is “dead”: it waits to see which letter comes next. To type a tilde by itself, follow it with Spacebar.

Microsoft documents both adding Windows keyboard layouts and the United States-International layout.

How to type N with accents on a Mac

For ñ, press Option+N, release both keys, and then press N. For Ñ, use Option+N followed by Shift+N.

You can also hold the N key until the accent menu appears, then choose ñ with the number shown. The long-press menu is convenient for everyday language characters but may not contain ń, ň, ņ, ṅ, or ṇ on your current input source.

For the extended forms, open Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space, search for “n with acute,” “n with caron,” or the exact Unicode name, and insert the result. Apple explains both the accent menu and dead-key approach.

Microsoft Word shortcuts and Unicode codes

For ñ in Word, press Ctrl+Shift+~, release, then press N. Add Shift to the final N for uppercase.

Word’s Alt+X conversion is the cleanest method for the less common letters. Type the hexadecimal code, leave the cursor immediately after it, and press Alt+X.

Alt+X is a Word feature, not a universal Windows shortcut. Excel and PowerPoint can use the system keyboard, Insert → Symbol, or a copied character.

Microsoft’s Word accent-shortcut reference covers the dead-key combinations used for common Latin letters.

Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Chromebook

In Google Docs, choose Insert → Special characters and search by name. Typing “n with caron,” for example, is more reliable than drawing a tiny accent with the mouse.

Google Sheets has fewer insertion tools, so use the operating-system keyboard or paste from the copy line above. The underlying Unicode value remains intact when the glyph changes weight or shape in another spreadsheet font.

On Chromebook, open keyboard input settings and add US International or the language you are writing. The shelf indicator shows the active input method. Google maintains current Chromebook accent and international-keyboard instructions.

iPhone, iPad, and Android

Press and hold N, then slide to ñ without lifting your finger. This works on Apple’s keyboard and Gboard when the relevant character is available.

If ń, ň, or another form is missing, add the language that uses it. A Polish keyboard exposes ń more naturally; Czech exposes ň; Latvian exposes ņ. One giant accent menu is not intended to contain every Latin letter.

Apple’s iPhone diacritical-mark guide and Google’s Gboard typing guide both use the touch-and-hold gesture.

Which N should you use?

The most searched form is ñ, but it is not a generic decorated N. Spanish treats it as a separate alphabet letter: año means “year,” while ano is an anatomical word. If Spanish is your focus, compare how everyday vocabulary changes across our guides to Spanish slang for friend and the different uses of chica in Spanish.

Polish ń represents a softened N sound. Czech and Slovak ň also mark a palatal sound, while Latvian ņ is a separate spelling form with its own language rules.

The dotted letters belong mostly to scholarly transliteration. If you are typing a Sanskrit name or technical term, the dot’s position matters: ṅ and ṇ represent different sounds. Do not choose one merely because it looks close at small size.

For other vowels and marks, use the focused references for E with an accent, umlaut letters, or the full letters with accents hub. The arrow-symbol library covers non-letter symbols with the same copy-first format.

Troubleshooting

Alt+0241 types the wrong symbol

Use the numeric keypad, turn on Num Lock, include the leading zero, and keep Alt held until the final digit. Some remote-desktop sessions and browser tools intercept Alt sequences; use Character Map or copy/paste there.

A tilde appears before the N

The dead key was not completed. Press the tilde combination, release it, and then type N. If you need a standalone tilde, press Spacebar after the dead key.

The accent disappears after pasting

Paste into a plain-text editor to inspect the result. Some forms normalize text or strip combining marks. Using the precomposed letters in the copy table reduces that risk.

The character becomes a square box

The selected font lacks that glyph. Switch to a broad Unicode font; changing the keyboard shortcut will not fix a missing font character.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Alt code for ñ?

Use Alt+0241 for ñ and Alt+0209 for Ñ on a Windows numeric keypad.

Is ñ an N with an accent?

It is often grouped under that search phrase, but Spanish considers ñ a separate letter. The mark above it is a tilde.

How do I type ń instead of ñ?

Use a Polish keyboard, Character Viewer, or type 0144 followed by Alt+X in Word.

Can I type these letters without a number pad?

Yes. Use an international or language keyboard, the operating-system character picker, Word Unicode conversion, or copy the character from this page.