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W With Accent (ẃ, ẁ, ẇ, ŵ, ẅ, ẘ, ẉ, ⱳ…) — How to Type Accented W on Keyboard

Typing a W with an accent (like ẃ or ŵ) can feel confusing because these letters are not on most English keyboards. The good news is: you can still type them easily using Alt codes (Windows), Character Viewer (Mac), or built-in symbol tools in Word and Google Docs.

This guide is written for complete beginners and covers the simplest options first.

Accented W copy and paste (fastest)

If you just need the letter once, copying is the quickest method.

W with Accent — Click to Copy
Click any letter to copy it.
Lowercase
Uppercase
Tip: If a character shows as a □ box, change your font (try Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman).

Tip: Bookmark this page so you can return and copy in one click.

What does “W with accent” mean?

“W with accent” can mean different versions of W used in different contexts:

  • ẃ / Ẃ = W with acute
  • ẁ / Ẁ = W with grave
  • ẇ / Ẇ = W with dot above
  • ŵ / Ŵ = W with circumflex
  • ẅ / Ẅ = W with diaeresis (two dots)
  • ẘ = lowercase w with ring above
  • ẉ / Ẉ = W with dot below
  • ⱳ / Ⱳ = W with hook (often seen in linguistics/phonetics)

If you’re not sure which one you need, use the copy & paste section or the widget.

How to type W with accent on Windows

Windows gives you two beginner-friendly choices:

  1. Alt codes (fastest if you have a numeric keypad)
  2. Character Map (works on any Windows laptop/PC)

Method 1: Alt codes (Windows) — fastest with a number pad

What this method is

Alt codes are a Windows shortcut that lets you type special characters by holding Alt and typing a number.

Before you start (important)

  • Turn Num Lock ON
  • Use the numeric keypad (the number pad on the right side of your keyboard)
  • The number row above your letters usually does not work for Alt codes

Steps (Alt codes)

  1. Click where you want to insert the letter
  2. Turn Num Lock ON
  3. Hold down Alt
  4. Type the Alt code using the numeric keypad
  5. Release Alt

Alt codes for W with accent

Lowercase:

  • ẃ = Alt 7811 (w with acute)
  • ẁ = Alt 7809 (w with grave)
  • ẇ = Alt 7815 (w with dot above)
  • ŵ = Alt 373 (w with circumflex)
  • ẅ = Alt 7813 (w with diaeresis)
  • ẘ = Alt 7832 (w with ring above)
  • ẉ = Alt 7817 (w with dot below)
  • ⱳ = Alt 11379 (w with hook)

Uppercase:

  • Ẃ = Alt 7810 (W with acute)
  • Ẁ = Alt 7808 (W with grave)
  • Ẇ = Alt 7814 (W with dot above)
  • Ŵ = Alt 372 (W with circumflex)
  • Ẅ = Alt 7812 (W with diaeresis)
  • Ẉ = Alt 7816 (W with dot below)
  • Ⱳ = Alt 11378 (W with hook)

If you’re on a laptop with no number pad

Some laptops still allow Alt codes using a “hidden” number pad. Try turning it on with Fn + NumLk (the exact keys depend on your laptop).
If that’s frustrating, skip Alt codes and use Character Map (below).

Method 2: Character Map (Windows) — easiest when Alt codes fail

What this method is

Character Map is a built-in Windows tool that lets you find, copy, and paste special characters.

This is the best option when:

  • you don’t have a numeric keypad
  • Alt codes won’t work
  • you want a method that works in any app

Steps (Character Map)

  1. Open the Start menu
  2. Type Character Map and open it
  3. Pick a font like Arial or Times New Roman
  4. Click the letter you want (example: ẅ)
  5. Click Select → Copy
  6. Paste it where you need it

Tip: If you can’t see a character, switch fonts. Some fonts show more symbols than others.

How to type W with accent on Mac

Mac users usually type special letters using Character Viewer.

Method 1: Character Viewer (Mac) — best Mac method

What this method is

Character Viewer is a built-in Mac tool that lets you search for special characters by name and insert them into almost any app.

Steps (Mac)

  1. Click where you want the letter
  2. Press Control + Command + Space
  3. Search for terms like:
    • “w acute” (ẃ / Ẃ)
    • “w grave” (ẁ / Ẁ)
    • “w circumflex” (ŵ / Ŵ)
    • “w diaeresis” (ẅ / Ẅ)
    • “w dot above” (ẇ / Ẇ)
    • “w dot below” (ẉ / Ẉ)
    • “w hook” (ⱳ / Ⱳ)
  4. Double-click the character to insert it

How to type W with accent in Microsoft Word

Word has two simple approaches: a fast keyboard method (Windows) and a click method (Windows/Mac).

Method 1: Unicode + Alt+X (Word on Windows) — fastest Word trick

What this method is

In Word for Windows, you can type a Unicode code and convert it instantly using Alt + X.

Steps

  1. Type the Unicode code (example: 1E83)
  2. Press Alt + X
    Word converts it into the letter.

Try these (common ones):

  • ẃ: type 1E83 then Alt+X
  • ẁ: type 1E81 then Alt+X
  • ẇ: type 1E87 then Alt+X
  • ŵ: type 0175 then Alt+X
  • ẅ: type 1E85 then Alt+X
  • ẉ: type 1E89 then Alt+X
  • ⱳ: type 2C73 then Alt+X

Uppercase examples:

  • Ẃ: type 1E82 then Alt+X
  • Ẁ: type 1E80 then Alt+X
  • Ẇ: type 1E86 then Alt+X
  • Ŵ: type 0174 then Alt+X
  • Ẅ: type 1E84 then Alt+X
  • Ẉ: type 1E88 then Alt+X
  • Ⱳ: type 2C72 then Alt+X

Method 2: Insert Symbol (Word on Windows and Mac) — easiest for beginners

What this method is

Word has a Symbol library where you can insert special letters without memorizing anything.

Steps

  1. Go to Insert
  2. Choose Symbol → More Symbols
  3. Pick a font like Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman
  4. Find the character and click Insert

Tip: After you insert one, it often appears in your “recent symbols” list.

How to type W with accent in Google Docs

Google Docs has a built-in “special characters” tool that works on any computer.

Method 1: Insert → Special characters (Google Docs) — easiest Docs option

Steps

  1. In Google Docs, click Insert
  2. Click Special characters
  3. Search for:
    • w acute, w grave, w circumflex, w diaeresis
    • w dot above, w dot below
    • w hook
  4. Click the character to insert it

Tip: If search doesn’t help, you can draw the character in the little drawing box.

Method 2: Copy & paste (Docs + anywhere)

If you can see the letter you want on this page, copy it from the top section and paste it into Google Docs.

Common problems (quick fixes)

“My Alt code isn’t working”

Check these:

  • Num Lock is ON
  • You are using the numeric keypad, not the top number row
  • On laptops, try Fn + NumLk
  • If it still fails, use Character Map or copy & paste

“I see a box □ instead of the letter”

That means the font you’re using doesn’t support the character.
Switch to: Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Segoe UI

Technical details (Unicode + HTML codes)

If you need these for websites or coding, use these exact codes:

Lowercase:

  • ẃ — Unicode: U+1E83 | HTML hex: ẃ | HTML dec: ẃ
  • ẁ — Unicode: U+1E81 | HTML hex: ẁ | HTML dec: ẁ
  • ẇ — Unicode: U+1E87 | HTML hex: ẇ | HTML dec: ẇ
  • ŵ — Unicode: U+0175 | HTML hex: ŵ | HTML dec: ŵ
  • ẅ — Unicode: U+1E85 | HTML hex: ẅ | HTML dec: ẅ
  • ẘ — Unicode: U+1E98 | HTML hex: ẘ | HTML dec: ẘ
  • ẉ — Unicode: U+1E89 | HTML hex: ẉ | HTML dec: ẉ
  • ⱳ — Unicode: U+2C73 | HTML hex: ⱳ | HTML dec: ⱳ

Uppercase:

  • Ẃ — Unicode: U+1E82 | HTML hex: Ẃ | HTML dec: Ẃ
  • Ẁ — Unicode: U+1E80 | HTML hex: Ẁ | HTML dec: Ẁ
  • Ẇ — Unicode: U+1E86 | HTML hex: Ẇ | HTML dec: Ẇ
  • Ŵ — Unicode: U+0174 | HTML hex: Ŵ | HTML dec: Ŵ
  • Ẅ — Unicode: U+1E84 | HTML hex: Ẅ | HTML dec: Ẅ
  • Ẉ — Unicode: U+1E88 | HTML hex: Ẉ | HTML dec: Ẉ
  • Ⱳ — Unicode: U+2C72 | HTML hex: Ⱳ | HTML dec: Ⱳ

Related Accent Letter Guides