Tilde Letters (ñ ã õ ĩ ũ ẽ ỹ): Copy, Paste and Type

Tilde letters carry a small wavy line on top: ñ ã õ ĩ ũ ẽ ỹ. Click any letter above to copy it. To type ñ, hold Alt and type 0241 on Windows, or press Option + N, then n on a Mac.

The tilde is best known from Spanish ñ, but Portuguese uses it for nasal vowels and Vietnamese uses it as a tone mark. Each use is explained below, followed by a typing table.

How each language uses the tilde

Spanish ñ

In Spanish, ñ is its own letter. It comes after n in the alphabet and in dictionaries. Swapping it for n changes the word: año means "year" while ano means "anus", a mistake worth avoiding on a birthday card. Our guide to typing n with a tilde covers every device.

Spanish "tilde" means any accent

Spanish speakers use the word "tilde" for any written accent mark, not only the wavy line. A teacher who says "canción lleva tilde" means the acute accent on the ó. The wavy line on ñ is sometimes called "la virgulilla". For the rules on when Spanish words need an accent, see Spanish accent rules.

Portuguese nasal vowels

Portuguese uses ã and õ for vowels said partly through the nose. You see them in very common words: não (no), mãe (mother), pão (bread) and the plural ending -ões, as in lições. The Portuguese accent letters page covers the other Portuguese marks.

Vietnamese ngã tone

Vietnamese has six tones, and the tilde marks one of them, the ngã tone. It can sit on any vowel, including y, which is why ẽ, ĩ, ũ and ỹ exist.

How to type tilde letters

ñ and Ñ also have short codes: Alt + 164 and Alt + 165. All Alt codes need the number pad with Num Lock on.

Letters with no shortcut

The Vietnamese and Guarani tilde letters have no Alt code, no Mac Option shortcut on the US layout and no Word key combination. Use one of these methods:

• Copy the letter from the grid at the top of this page.
• On Windows, press Win + . (period) and open the Symbols tab.
• On a Mac, press Control + Command + Space and search the Character Viewer.
• In Word, type the hex code and press Alt + X.

Other quick methods

• US International keyboard (Windows): type ~ (Shift + the grave key), then n, a or o. Press Space after ~ for a plain tilde.
• Mac press and hold: hold n, a or o and choose from the menu.
• Phones: press and hold n, a or o on iPhone or Android. See accents on iPhone and Android.

Tilde character vs tilde accent

The ~ key on your keyboard types a standalone tilde (U+007E). It does not join a letter. Typing n~ gives two characters, not ñ.

Accented letters such as ñ (U+00F1) are stored as single precomposed characters. Unicode also has a combining tilde, U+0303, that attaches to the letter before it. Precomposed letters are more reliable in fonts and search, so copy those where they exist.

Crossword clue: accent over a Spanish word, 5 letters

The answer is TILDE. Check it against your crossing letters, since a puzzle could also be after ACUTE for the mark on á. More answers are in our accent mark crossword clues list.