How to Type in Other Languages: Accents, Layouts and Practice
How to type accents in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian, which keyboard layouts to use, and how to practise typing in your language.
By the TypePlay team · · 2 min read
If you write in more than one language, your typing speed may drop sharply outside English. Accented letters need extra keystrokes, and the word patterns your fingers know are different. Both problems shrink quickly with the right setup and some focused practice.
Two ways to type accents
Native layouts put accented letters on their own keys: Spanish keyboards have ñ, German QWERTZ keyboards have ä, ö and ü, and French AZERTY keyboards have é, è and à. International layouts keep QWERTY and use dead keys: you press an accent key, then the letter, and the two combine.
Quick guide by language
- Spanish: á é í ó ú ñ. On US-International, an apostrophe then the vowel, and AltGr + n or tilde then n for ñ. Spanish typing test.
- French: é è ê à â ç œ ù. AZERTY swaps A/Q and Z/W. French typing test.
- German: ä ö ü ß. QWERTZ swaps Y and Z. German typing test.
- Portuguese: ã õ ç plus acute and circumflex vowels. Portuguese typing test.
- Italian: à è é ì ò ù, usually at the end of a word. Italian typing test.
- Hinglish: Hindi in Roman letters, no special keys needed. Hinglish typing test.
Why practising in your language helps
Much of typing speed is pattern memory. Your fingers learn the letter sequences of the words you type most. English practice builds English patterns. To be fast in Spanish or German, you need to type Spanish or German words. TypePlay's language tests use common words in each language, accents included, and score accents as real characters.
A practice routine for bilingual typists
- Set up the layout you will actually use, and stick with it.
- Practise accented letters slowly until the dead key or accent key is automatic.
- Take the language test for your second language three times a week.
- Compare your speed in each language; the gap should narrow within a few weeks.
Try it on TypePlay
- Spanish typing test →Real Spanish words with á, é, ñ and more.
- French typing test →é, è, ç and the other French accents.
- German typing test →Umlauts and ß.
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Questions and answers
How do I type accents on an English keyboard?
Switch to the US-International layout in your system settings. Then type an accent key followed by a letter: an apostrophe then e gives é, a quote mark then u gives ü, and a tilde then n gives ñ.
Should I learn a new keyboard layout for another language?
If you type mostly in that language, its native layout is fastest. If you switch between languages often, an international layout lets you keep QWERTY and still type accents.