German ä, ö, ü and ß: spelling examples and typing practice
The German keyboard supplies ä, ö, ü, ß, their capitals and quotation marks without changing your computer's layout. Start with the spelling in the original text, then choose the corresponding character.
Practice with complete words
| Character | Examples | Practice sequence |
|---|---|---|
| ä Ä | Mädchen, Äpfel | Type M, click ä, then type dchen. |
| ö Ö | schön, Österreich | Type sch, click ö, then type n. |
| ü Ü | für, Übung | Type f, click ü, then type r. |
| ß ẞ | Straße, groß | Type Stra, click ß, then type e. |
The keyboard inserts what you select; it does not translate the word or check its spelling. After entering a name, compare it with the original before copying it into a form.
Do not substitute ß and ss without checking
Duden's spelling rules distinguish ß and ss in part by the preceding vowel. Maße and Masse, for example, are different words. Switzerland and Liechtenstein use ss in place of ß. Follow the spelling used in your source and the regional convention rather than treating the two forms as interchangeable everywhere.
Use buttons or shortcuts
- Type the ordinary letters into the editor and click a symbol at the required caret position.
- With the default setting, use Ctrl+A for ä, Ctrl+O for ö, Ctrl+U for ü and Ctrl+S for ß.
- Hold Shift while clicking, or turn on ⇧, for a capital. Ctrl+Shift plus the letter also works for these shortcuts.
- Use Copy all and check the result in the destination app.
Ctrl+A is assigned to ä on this keyboard. To select all text on a computer, use the toolbar's Select all button or temporarily turn shortcuts off. On Mac, ordinary copying and pasting use Cmd+C and Cmd+V; the symbol shortcuts still use Ctrl. If your environment intercepts a key combination, the symbol button offers another route.
Capitals, quotation marks and fonts
Phonokey includes ẞ as a capital form. If the original uses SS, retain that spelling rather than changing it automatically. The keyboard also has different opening and closing quotation marks; follow the style of the document you are editing.
A square in place of ẞ may indicate missing font support. Changing the font in Phonokey affects this editor, not every app into which you paste. Try a second destination before changing the character. See copying and font troubleshooting or the guide to typing accents on your device for the next steps.