How to Type Spanish Accent Marks on iOS and Android with Ease

Follow along and learn how to type the diacritical marks used in Spanish on mobile phones and tablets.

Spanish text heavily uses diacritical marks, or letters with accents. These aren't common in English, so they are left out on the default keyboard. In this article, you'll learn how to type these letters on mobile phones and tablets.

Method 1: Typing accents using the English keyboard

On both iOS and Android, you can type accents by following these three easy steps:

Open the keyboard where you want to type
Press and hold the letter you want to type
When you hold down the letter, a popup appears with accent options. Tap the accent mark you want to use.

For example, you can type ñ by pressing and holding the letter n.

This method is most convenient if you'll only be writing a few words in Spanish. If you plan to write longer text, see the next method.

Method 2: Adding the Spanish keyboard

Typing letters with accents with the English keyboard can be slow and cumbersome, especially with longer text. However, you can manually add the Spanish keyboard to access some accents more conveniently:

Open the settings app
Open the keyboard settings. This will vary by device, but it is usually in the General section.
Tap Keyboards or Keyboard list, depending on your device. You'll see English in this list.
Tap Add new keyboard and select Spanish from the list

Once you've completed these steps, the Spanish keyboard will be accessible when you type. When you want to type in Spanish, tap and hold the globe icon on the keyboard and select Spanish from the list. You'll notice the keyboard will have some different letters. You can also select English from the list to return to the English keyboard.

This method also adds the benefit of getting suggestions and corrections in Spanish, rather than English, as you type.

If you're still stuck, the Apple Support site provides some more details.

Bonus tip

Switch the default language on your phone to Spanish for additional immersion. This will make apps and features appear in Spanish.

Next steps

Writing with accented letters is a good start to writing more effectively in Spanish. Continue with more advanced steps by learning through immersion. It's the single best way to speed up your Spanish-learning journey as it allows for realistic scenarios to fine-tune your vocabulary and understanding of Spanish.