Making Special Characters in German

To make special characters on a PC (Windows computer):

  • Make sure Number Lock is on.
  • Using the keypad, hold down the Alt key and type the following codes:

Alt + 0228 = ä
Alt + 0196 = Ä
Alt + 0246 = ö
Alt + 0214 = Ö
Alt + 0252 = ü
Alt + 0220 = Ü
Alt + 0223 = ß

To make special characters on a Macintosh:

For letters with umlauts:

  • Hold down the Opt key
  • Type ‘u' (for umlaut!)
  • Type the letter you wish to have umlauted (using Shift for capital letters with umlauts)

For esstsets:

  • Hold down the Opt key, and type the letter s

In the absence of umlauts, an acceptable alternative is to add an 'e' directly after the letter that requires an umlaut. For example, hören = hoeren; König = Koenig; hätte = haette, etc.

If your computer does not have a number pad separate from the regular keyboard, these instructions will not work. You can use the 'insert symbol' function on the computer, or use the "e" after the vowel option.