How to Type an Umlaut in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word 2010, in keeping with previous versions of the word processing program, gives you the ability to insert international characters such as an umlaut--a diacritical mark used in the German language that resembles a horizontal colon--into your documents. One way to include an umlaut in a Word 2010 document is to choose from a list of characters in the Symbol options of the Insert tab of the ribbon. Keyboard shortcuts provide a quicker method to type an umlaut as you input text.

Instructions

1. Insert the cursor where you want to type an umlaut in an open Word document.

2. Press “Ctrl-Shift-;” and then type the vowel over which you want an umlaut to appear. This will insert the lowercase version of the vowel with an umlaut over it.

3. Press “Ctrl-Shift-;" and then press “Shift” and the vowel requiring the umlaut. This results in an uppercase umlauted vowel.

Tips & Warnings

• Use spell check to make sure you have written what you needed correctly. Unfortunately, when writing in German Microsoft Word will not catch if the umlauts are used in a grammatically correct nature.

References

• Microsoft Office Online: Switch Between Different Languages By Setting the Proofing Language
• Keyboard Shortcuts for International Characters