French Accents Copy and Paste - Letters & Special Characters (à é ê û ç)

Most-Copied French Accents in 2026

If you just need the quick fix — these are the four French accents people copy the most from this page. Tap the button above the article to copy any letter, or use the table below as a one-glance reference.

The full set of French letters with accents — à â ä é è ê ë î ï ô ù û ü ÿ ç æ œ — is available in the click-to-copy grid at the top of this page. No need to memorise Alt codes or fiddle with the international keyboard.

The Five French Accent Marks

French uses five diacritical marks layered on top of standard Latin letters. Each one changes pronunciation, meaning, or both — leaving them off can turn one word into another. Here's a quick reference for every accent, with a French example and what it does to the sound.

French also keeps two ligatures from Latin: æ (et, used in words like et cætera) and œ (oe, found in cœur, œuf, sœur). Both still appear in modern dictionaries — don't substitute "oe" if you're writing properly.

Typing French Accents on a US Keyboard

If you're searching for French accents copy and paste or à é è ê ç copy paste, the buttons above are the fastest route — one click and you're done. But if you write in French often, learn the shortcuts on your device.

Windows

Use the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. Hold Alt and type the code:

• Alt+0233 = é, Alt+0201 = É
• Alt+0224 = à, Alt+0232 = è, Alt+0249 = ù
• Alt+0226 = â, Alt+0234 = ê, Alt+0238 = î, Alt+0244 = ô, Alt+0251 = û
• Alt+0231 = ç, Alt+0199 = Ç

Mac

Use the Option key as a dead key:

• Option+E then a vowel = acute (é)
• Option+` then a vowel = grave (à è ù)
• Option+I then a vowel = circumflex (â ê î ô û)
• Option+U then a vowel = trema (ë ï ü ÿ)
• Option+C = ç

iPhone and Android

Long-press any vowel on the on-screen keyboard. A row of accented options appears — slide to the one you want and release. The C key gives you ç, and long-pressing apostrophe gives you the guillemets « ».

Chromebook and Linux

On Chromebook, enable the US International keyboard in Settings → Languages → Inputs. Then ' + e gives é, ` + a gives à, ^ + o gives ô, and so on. On most Linux desktops, set up a Compose key (often the right Alt) — Compose then ' then e produces é, and Compose then , then c produces ç. The Compose method works in every app without switching layouts.

When to Use French Accents in English Writing

Even if you're writing in English, French accents still matter in a few situations:

• Proper names: Beyoncé, André, Renée, Chloé, Zoë, Saoirse. Dropping the accent is technically a misspelling of the name.
• Loanwords: café, résumé, fiancé(e), naïve, façade, cliché, déjà vu, soirée. Most US style guides keep the accent in formal writing.
• Place names: Montréal, Québec, Côte d'Ivoire, Réunion.
• Language study and homework: for school assignments, missing accents usually cost you marks even in the US.

Common Mistakes and Look-Alike Letters

A few traps to watch for:

• é vs è — easy to mix up. É (acute, slanting up-right) is the "ay" sound in café. È (grave, slanting up-left) is the open "eh" in très.
• à vs a — à means "to" or "at"; a is the verb "has". Same letter, totally different word.
• ou vs où — ou = "or", où = "where". The grave is the only thing separating them.
• ç vs c — only put the cedilla before a, o, or u. Never before e or i (where c is already soft).
• œ vs oe — in French, cœur is one ligature, not two letters. In email addresses and URLs you'll see "oe" as a fallback, but in printed French it should be œ.