HTTA is reader supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

S With Accent (Ś, ś, Š, š, Ŝ, ŝ, Ş, ş, Ș, ș, Ṣ, ṣ…) — How to Type Accented S on Any Keyboard

If you’ve ever seen letters like ś or š and wondered, “How do I type that?”, you’re not alone. These are called accented S letters (or “S with accent”). They’re used in different languages and writing systems, and they don’t appear on a normal English keyboard—so you usually need a special method to type them.

In this guide, you’ll learn the simplest, beginner-friendly ways to type S with accent on:

  • Windows
  • Mac
  • Microsoft Word
  • Google Docs
  • Any app (email, Excel, PowerPoint, notes, etc.)

You’ll alsoget these special accented letters using the widget below:

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

What does “S with accent” mean?

“S with accent” doesn’t mean just one letter. It’s a general phrase people use to describe different versions of the letter S that have a mark on them (an accent or a special sign).

These marks change the sound, spelling, or meaning of words in certain languages.

For example:

  • ś has a small rising line (acute accent)
  • š has a small “v” shape on top (caron)
  • ş has a tail-like mark underneath (cedilla)
  • ș has a comma-like mark underneath (comma below)
  • ß is a special German letter (sharp s) that looks like “beta” but it’s not

So when someone searches “s with accent”, they might mean any one of these.

The most common “S with accent” letters (quick overview)

Before we get into steps, here’s a quick explanation of the main ones you’ll see most often:

1) S with acute: ś / Ś

  • Common in Polish and some other languages.
  • Looks like: s + a small slanted line above it.

2) S with caron (háček): š / Š

  • Common in Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Croatian, and more.
  • Looks like: s + a small “v” on top.

3) S with circumflex: ŝ / Ŝ

  • Common in Esperanto.
  • Looks like: s + a small “hat” on top.

4) S with cedilla: ş / Ş

  • Common in Turkish (and others).
  • Looks like: s + a little hook under it.

5) S with comma below: ș / Ș

  • Common in Romanian.
  • Looks similar to cedilla, but the mark is more like a comma, not a hook.

6) Sharp S (Eszett): ß / ẞ

  • Used in German.
  • It is not “B”, not “beta”, and not “ss” (even though it often sounds like “ss”).

7) Other S letters (dot above / dot below)

  • Examples: ṡ Ṡ ṣ Ṣ
  • These show up in transliteration, academic writing, linguistics, and some special naming systems.

How to type S with accent on Windows

Windows gives you a few different ways to type special characters. Some are fast (Alt codes), and some are easier for beginners (Character Map).

Option 1 (Fast): Use Windows Alt codes

Alt codes are keyboard shortcuts that let you type special characters by holding Alt and typing numbers.

Before you start (important!)

Alt codes usually work best when:

  • You have a numeric keypad (numpad) on the right side of your keyboard
  • Num Lock is ON

If you’re using a laptop without a numpad, don’t worry—skip to Character Map or Word method below.

Steps (Windows Alt code method)

  1. Open Microsoft Word
  2. Click where you want the letter
  3. Turn Num Lock ON
  4. Hold down the Alt key
  5. Type the Alt code using the numpad
  6. Release Alt

Common Alt codes for S with accent (Windows)

  • ś = Alt 347
  • Ś = Alt 346
  • š = Alt 353
  • Š = Alt 352
  • ŝ = Alt 349
  • Ŝ = Alt 348
  • ş = Alt 351
  • Ş = Alt 350
  • ș = Alt 537
  • Ș = Alt 536
  • ß = Alt 225
  • ẞ = Alt 7838

More S variants (Windows)

  • ṡ = Alt 7777 | Ṡ = Alt 7776
  • ṣ = Alt 7779 | Ṣ = Alt 7778
  • ṥ = Alt 7781 | Ṥ = Alt 7780
  • ṧ = Alt 7783 | Ṧ = Alt 7782
  • ṩ = Alt 7785 | Ṩ = Alt 7784

Option 2 (Beginner-friendly): Use Character Map (Windows)

If Alt codes are confusing (or you don’t have a numpad), Windows has a built-in tool called Character Map.

What Character Map is

Character Map shows you a list of characters that exist in your fonts. You can pick a letter and copy it.

Steps

  1. Open the Start Menu
  2. Search for Character Map
  3. Open it
  4. Choose a common font like Arial or Times New Roman
  5. Find the character you need (ś, š, ß, etc.)
  6. Click Select → Copy
  7. Paste it where you want

How to type S with accent on Mac

Mac doesn’t use Alt codes the same way Windows does. Instead, Mac makes it easy using the Character Viewer.

Option 1 (Best): Character Viewer (Mac)

What Character Viewer is

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

Steps

  1. Press Control + Command + Space
  2. Search for what you need, like:
    • “s acute”
    • “s caron”
    • “s circumflex”
    • “s cedilla”
    • “s comma below”
    • “eszett” or “sharp s”
  3. Double-click the letter to insert it

Works in: Word, Google Docs, Pages, Notes, email, browsers, and more.

How to type S with accent in Microsoft Word

Word is special because it has extra ways to type symbols that don’t work everywhere else.

Option 1 (Windows Word): Unicode + Alt+X (very powerful)

What this method does

In Word for Windows, you can type a Unicode code, then press Alt + X, and Word converts it into the character.

Steps

  1. Type the Unicode (example: 015B)
  2. Press Alt + X
  3. Word changes it into the letter (example: ś)

Unicode + Alt+X examples (Word Windows)

  • 015B + Alt+X → ś
  • 0161 + Alt+X → š
  • 015D + Alt+X → ŝ
  • 015F + Alt+X → ş
  • 0219 + Alt+X → ș
  • 00DF + Alt+X → ß
  • 1E9E + Alt+X → ẞ

Tip: This is one of the best methods for rare characters because it doesn’t require a numpad.

Option 2 (Word Windows/Mac): Insert Symbol

What it is

Word has a built-in symbol picker.

Steps

  1. Go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols
  2. Choose a common font (Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman)
  3. Find your character
  4. Click Insert

How to type S with accent in Google Docs

Google Docs has a symbol library built in.

Option 1: Insert → Special characters (easiest)

Steps

  1. Go to Insert → Special characters
  2. In the search box, type:
    • “s acute”
    • “s caron”
    • “s circumflex”
    • “s cedilla”
    • “s comma below”
    • “eszett”
  3. Click the character to insert it

Option 2: Copy & paste (fast)

Use the Quick copy/paste section above.

Troubleshooting (common issues and fixes)

1) “My Alt code isn’t working”

Try these fixes:

  • Make sure you’re using the numpad
  • Turn Num Lock ON
  • Try a different app (Word usually works best)
  • If on a laptop: use Character Map or Word Unicode method

2) “It shows a box □ instead of the letter”

That means the font doesn’t support the character.
Fix: change the font to Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Segoe UI.

3) “I need uppercase, but I keep getting lowercase”

Use the correct code or pick the uppercase character from Character Viewer / Docs.

4) “Is ş the same as ș?”

No. They look similar, but they’re different letters used in different languages:

  • ş = s with cedilla (often Turkish)
  • ș = s with comma below (often Romanian)

If you’re typing for school or official documents, it’s worth using the correct one.

S with accent — Technical details (Unicode + HTML codes)

Lowercase:

  • ś — Unicode: U+015B | HTML hex: ś | HTML dec: ś
  • š — Unicode: U+0161 | HTML hex: š | HTML dec: š
  • ŝ — Unicode: U+015D | HTML hex: ŝ | HTML dec: ŝ
  • ş — Unicode: U+015F | HTML hex: ş | HTML dec: ş
  • ș — Unicode: U+0219 | HTML hex: ș | HTML dec: ș
  • ß — Unicode: U+00DF | HTML hex: ß | HTML dec: ß
  • ṡ — Unicode: U+1E61 | HTML hex: ṡ | HTML dec: ṡ
  • ṣ — Unicode: U+1E63 | HTML hex: ṣ | HTML dec: ṣ
  • ṥ — Unicode: U+1E65 | HTML hex: ṥ | HTML dec: ṥ
  • ṧ — Unicode: U+1E67 | HTML hex: ṧ | HTML dec: ṧ
  • ṩ — Unicode: U+1E69 | HTML hex: ṩ | HTML dec: ṩ

Uppercase:

  • Ś — Unicode: U+015A | HTML hex: Ś | HTML dec: Ś
  • Š — Unicode: U+0160 | HTML hex: Š | HTML dec: Š
  • Ŝ — Unicode: U+015C | HTML hex: Ŝ | HTML dec: Ŝ
  • Ş — Unicode: U+015E | HTML hex: Ş | HTML dec: Ş
  • Ș — Unicode: U+0218 | HTML hex: Ș | HTML dec: Ș
  • ẞ — Unicode: U+1E9E | HTML hex: ẞ | HTML dec: ẞ
  • Ṡ — Unicode: U+1E60 | HTML hex: Ṡ | HTML dec: Ṡ
  • Ṣ — Unicode: U+1E62 | HTML hex: Ṣ | HTML dec: Ṣ
  • Ṥ — Unicode: U+1E64 | HTML hex: Ṥ | HTML dec: Ṥ
  • Ṧ — Unicode: U+1E66 | HTML hex: Ṧ | HTML dec: Ṧ
  • Ṩ — Unicode: U+1E68 | HTML hex: Ṩ | HTML dec: Ṩ

Related Accent Letter Guides