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:

Refer to this accent keyboard for more accented letters.

Table of Contents

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: