On your own keyboard: type a letter, then press ` (the key left of 1) to add an accent. Press it again for the next one: e → é → è → ê → ë. c` gives ç, o`` gives œ.
About the French keyboard
French uses five kinds of accent marks — é (aigu), è à ù (grave), â ê î ô û (circonflexe), ë ï ü ÿ (tréma) and the ç (cédille) — plus the joined letters œ and æ and the quote marks « ». An English keyboard has none of them.
This page gives you all of them. Click a letter in the quick bar, use the on-screen AZERTY keyboard of France, or keep typing on your own keyboard and add the accents with one key. Then copy your text anywhere.
Features
- Quick bar — é è ê ë à â î ï ô û ù ü ÿ ç œ æ « » € in one click; hold Shift for É È Ê À Ç Œ
- Accent key on your own keyboard — type a letter, then press ` (left of 1) once or more: e → é → è → ê → ë
- AZERTY on screen — the classic keyboard of France, with its dead keys ^ and ¨
- AZERTY mode — your own keys can type like a French keyboard, to learn the layout
- Capitals with accents — É, À, Ç and Œ, which are hard to type even on a French keyboard
- Copy, search, translate — one click each; the text stays on this device for next time
- Private — everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded
French accents and how to type them
| Letter | Name | Example | Your keys "as printed" | AZERTY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| é | accent aigu | été, café | e, then ` | the 2 key |
| è à ù | accent grave | très, à, où | e or a or u, then ` (more times) | the 7, 0 and ù keys |
| â ê î ô û | accent circonflexe | château, fête, île, hôtel, sûr | the letter, then ` (more times) | ^ then the letter |
| ë ï ü ÿ | tréma | Noël, naïf | the letter, then ` (more times) | ¨ (Shift + ^) then the letter |
| ç | cédille | ça, français | c, then ` | the 9 key |
| œ æ | joined letters | cœur, sœur | o or a, then ` (more times) | in the quick bar |
| « » | guillemets | « Bonjour » | < or >, then ` | in the quick bar |
Each press of ` moves to the next form and then back to the plain letter: a → à → â → æ → a.
What is different on AZERTY
The French keyboard is called AZERTY after its first six letters. If you switch to the French AZERTY mode at the top, your own keys type like a keyboard from France:
- A and Q swap places, and so do Z and W
- M sits right of L, where English keyboards have ;
- The top row gives & é " ' ( - è _ ç à — for the numbers you hold Shift
- ^ and ¨ are dead keys: press one, then the vowel: ^ + o = ô
- ù is right of M, and ! is at the bottom right
In the As printed mode (the default), your keys type what is printed on them, so an English keyboard keeps working as usual.
French typing tips
- Capitals keep their accents. The Académie française says to write École and À bientôt. Hold Shift and click the quick bar.
- Guillemets have spaces inside: « Bonjour ». French also puts a space before : ; ! ? — "Ça va ?"
- œ is one letter in words like cœur, sœur, œuf and œuvre.
- Belgium uses a slightly different AZERTY, and Canada mostly uses a QWERTY with accents. The layout here is the one of France.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type é on an English keyboard?
Type e and then press the ` key (left of 1), or click é in the quick bar. In the AZERTY mode, the 2 key gives é, as on a keyboard from France.
How do I type ç (c cedilla)?
Type c and then press `, or click ç in the quick bar. Hold Shift for Ç.
Why do my letters change when I pick AZERTY?
In that mode your keys type what a French keyboard types in the same place: your A key gives q and your Q key gives a. Switch back to "As printed" to type the letters on your keys.
How do I type œ?
Type o and press ` twice (o → ô → œ), or click œ in the quick bar.
Is my text saved or uploaded?
Nothing is uploaded. Your text is kept in this browser only, so it is still there when you come back.
Related tools
- Spanish Keyboard — á é ñ ¿ ¡
- German Keyboard — ä ö ü ß and QWERTZ
- Text to Speech — hear your French text read out
- Typing Test — check your typing speed
- Character Counter — count letters and words
How to use it
- Click the letters on the screen, or just type on your own keyboard — no need to click the text box first
- Need an accent? Click it in the quick bar, or type the letter and press ` (left of 1) until the right one shows
- Hold Shift for capital letters: É È À Ç
- Want your keys to work like a keyboard from France? Pick French AZERTY at the top
- Click Copy and paste your text anywhere, or Search Google / Translate in one click
