Typing umlauts

Umlauts aren’t just decorations for your favorite vowels—they’re a way to alter the sounds and even the meanings of German words. Getting used to their pronunciation and when to use them can be a challenge to an English tongue learning how to speak German. Nevertheless, you’ll find them indispensable as you expand your German language skills. Read on to find out what those two little dots above some German vowels are, how to pronounce them, and tips for typing umlauts on an English keyboard.Table of ContentsWhat are umlauts?The history behind umlautsWhen to use umlauts in GermanHow to pronounce Ä, Ö, and ÜTips for typing umlauts on any deviceKey takeaways for German umlautsWhat are umlauts?Umlauts are a diacritical mark, which is a fancy term meaning that they change the sound a letter makes. (Some call them accent marks, too.) You’ll see them in the Austrian and German languages as two small dots above either the letter “a,” “o,” or “u.” The umlaut isn’t unique to German grammar—many languages like Swedish, Finnish, and Estonian also make use of them. Even the English language has borrowed some words with German umlauts like “doppelgänger.” Understanding how umlauts are pronounced and how to use them are critical for achieving full fluency in the German language.The history behind umlautsSince both English and German are Germanic languages, history buffs and language enthusiasts are keenly familiar with the close history shared between them. The ancient Proto-Germanic is considered the father language for modern German as well as English,

Über (over) and Glück (luck). Practice makes perfect here!Tips for typing umlauts on any deviceAs you incorporate these umlauts into your speech and writing, you’ll notice a distinct lack of these diacritical marks on your English keyboard. But fear not! There are still plenty of ways to use them even without ordering a separate German keyboard, regardless of your device.Umlauts on a PCMake sure your number lock is on, then hold down the left-side ALT key and type the following numbers to call up various umlauts:Windows CodeCorresponding Letter228ä246ö252ü196Ä214Ö220ÜUmlauts on a MacOn a Mac computer, hold down OPTION and push “u,” then release and type the base letter you need: a, o, u, A, O, or U. Couldn’t be easier!Umlauts on an iOS or Android deviceEither in the notes app or any app that uses the virtual keyboard, press the key for the vowel you want and hold it until the pop-up menu appears. Slide your finger over to select the umlauted letter you need. This process is the same on both iOS and Android devices.Key takeaways for German umlautsMastering German umlauts can make a big difference in your ability to speak, write, and understand the language effectively. Here are a few key points to keep in mind:Umlauts are diacritical marks, meaning they are symbols used to change how a letter sounds when pronounced.You’ll see umlauts in German as two dots above the vowels “a,” “o,” and “u.”Umlauts are often used to form plurals, create verb conjugations, and compare adjectives.Any device

Julie,Sorry, I got a bit sidetracked and didn't really answer your question. Use the Alternative spellings instead of umlauts, for now.I am in contact with Trystan to try and find a general answerBob Typing german Umlauts:Here's one solution. It's a bit round-the-houses but as you won't need too many umlauts, it will do, till we find a better way .... I am using a german version of windows, so I am guessing at some of the commands and descriptions, but, here goes ...Find the Character table on my computer (windows 2000) - programs- acessories- system programs- character tableclick on any "funny" characterdrag it into your RootsChat posting or your Google search windowand that's it !for instance: Keyboard: Ä , drag and drop from Character table: ÄFor Absolute Beginners: Drag & Drop = click on it with left mouse button and, holding the mouse button down, drag it to it's destination, and then let go of mouse button !(p.s. if anybody knows a quicker way, don't be shy, tell us about it !) Thanks Bob I had tried the alternative spelling (which I already knew) on a couple of sites and they weren't coming up with any results. I shall now go back and try my newly discovered ö Many thanksJulie Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.ukMarshall, Beeson (Herts)Lo(e)wenthal,Kavanagh, Maxam (London, Birmingham)Harrisson, Matthews (London, Essex)Poulton, Philbrick (Essex)Guest, Timmins (Staffs)Raynes/Ryall (Ireland, Birmingham)White (Bucks)Gunn (Scotland, Lancs, Essex)Ison (Tamworth, Birmingham, USA, Canada) Back on the subject of 'producing umlauts on English keyboards'.If you

Topic: Typing 'foreign' characters e.g. Umlauts (Read 80914 times) This may be a daft question, but when I'm searching German sites how do I type in an o with the umlaut?JulieModerator Comment: these contributions have been 'collected' here from another topic, hence the occaisional duplications Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.ukMarshall, Beeson (Herts)Lo(e)wenthal,Kavanagh, Maxam (London, Birmingham)Harrisson, Matthews (London, Essex)Poulton, Philbrick (Essex)Guest, Timmins (Staffs)Raynes/Ryall (Ireland, Birmingham)White (Bucks)Gunn (Scotland, Lancs, Essex)Ison (Tamworth, Birmingham, USA, Canada) Typing german Umlauts:(and other foreign letters)In German there are 4 special characters, which also have alternative spellings:(Umlaut is pronounced Umlout)ä and Ä : A-Umlaut Alternative: ae or Aeö and Ö : O-Umlaut Alternative: oe or Oe ü and Ü : U-Umlaut Alternative: ue or Ue ß : Scharfes S Alternative: ssto type them in a HTML-document, either type in the Unicode reference or the special HTML name:Symbol Reference Description Alternative (unicode) (HTML name) ä ä Small a, dieresis or umlaut mark ä Ä Ä Capital A, dieresis or umlaut mark Ä ö ö Small o, dieresis or umlaut mark ö Ö Ö Capital O, dieresis or umlaut mark Ö ü ü Small u, dieresis or umlaut mark ü Ü Ü Capital U, dieresis or umlaut mark Ü ß ß Small sharp s, German (sz ligature) ßThese, and many more "foreign" letters can be found at: although RootsChat accepts these characters directly from my german keyboard, it doesn't accept the HTML characters. I don't know why. Maybe Trystan does, I will pass the question on to him.