The Spanish letter ñ (lowercase) and Ñ (uppercase) may look like a normal n with a little wave on top, but it’s actually a different letter in Spanish. It makes a “ny” sound (like in canyon).

You’ll see ñ in common words and names like: niño, mañana, España, jalapeño, piñata, señor, Muñoz, Peña.

Also, many people get confused between n + ~ and ñ:

ñ is one single character (a real letter).
n + ~ is often a “tilde key” waiting for the next letter (a dead key). Depending on your keyboard settings, it might help you type ñ, or it might just type ~.

Table of Contents

1-Minute Answer (Fastest Ways)

Windows

ñ: Hold Alt and type 0241 on the numeric keypad
Ñ: Hold Alt and type 0209 on the numeric keypad

Mac

ñ: Option (⌥) + N, then press N
Ñ: Option (⌥) + N, then press Shift + N

iPhone / iPad

Press and hold n, then choose ñ / Ñ

Android

Press and hold n, then choose ñ / Ñ (varies slightly by keyboard app)

Microsoft Word

Ctrl + Shift + ~, then n → ñ
Ctrl + Shift + ~, then Shift + n → Ñ

Google Docs