How to Type á (A with acute) on LaTeX

Q: What is the Unicode code for á?

U+00E1. In HTML it is &aacute;.

Published September 7, 2026, 2 min read

á is a with acute, a letter used in Spanish, Portuguese, Czech and Slovak. On LaTeX, the quickest way to get it is \'{a}. This guide covers every method that works, including the capital Á and fixes for common problems.

á on LaTeX: \'{a}

Á on LaTeX: \'{A}

Or copy it:

Method 1: LaTeX command

Write \'{a} in text mode. Load \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} for correct hyphenation and copy-paste from the PDF.

Method 2: Type the character directly

Since 2018 pdfLaTeX reads UTF-8 by default, so you can paste á into your source. On Overleaf, set the compiler in Menu → Compiler.

Method 3: In math mode

For a variable with this accent, use $\acute{a}$ . Math accents are for symbols, so use the text command for words.

How to type the capital Á

The uppercase form works the same way with Shift added where a letter is typed.

LaTeX command

Write \'{A} in text mode. Load \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} for correct hyphenation and copy-paste from the PDF.

Type the character directly

Since 2018 pdfLaTeX reads UTF-8 by default, so you can paste Á into your source. On Overleaf, set the compiler in Menu → Compiler.

About the letter á

á is Unicode U+00E1, named LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH ACUTE. It is used in Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Icelandic, Dutch and Welsh. A short line slanting up to the right. It marks stress in Spanish (canción), a closed vowel in French (été), vowel length in Czech, Hungarian and Irish, and a rising tone in Vietnamese and Pinyin. See the á character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

Accents on i and j need the dotless forms \i and \j in old LaTeX; modern LaTeX handles this automatically.
If the letter is missing in the PDF, the font lacks it. Switch to XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX with a broader font.
Wrap commands in braces when the next character is a letter: \'{e}x, not \'ex.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for á on LaTeX?

\'{a}.

Can I just copy and paste á?

Yes. Click the copy button above, then paste with Ctrl+V on Windows and Chromebook, Cmd+V on a Mac, or touch and hold and choose Paste on a phone.

What is the Unicode code for á?

U+00E1. In HTML it is á.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for LaTeX