How to Type à (A with grave) on LaTeX

Q: What is the Unicode code for à?

U+00E0. In HTML it is &agrave;.

Published September 4, 2026, 2 min read

à is a with grave, a letter used in French, Portuguese, Italian and Catalan. On LaTeX, the quickest way to get it is \`{a}. This guide covers every method that works, including the capital À and fixes for common problems.

à on LaTeX: \`{a}

À 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 à into your source. On Overleaf, set the compiler in Menu → Compiler.

Method 3: In math mode

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

How to type the capital À

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 À into your source. On Overleaf, set the compiler in Menu → Compiler.

About the letter à

à is Unicode U+00E0, named LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH GRAVE. It is used in French, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Maltese, Welsh, Vietnamese and Mandarin Pinyin. A short line slanting down to the right. French uses it on à, è and ù, Italian on final stressed vowels (città), Catalan and Portuguese for vowel quality, and Vietnamese and Pinyin for a falling tone. See the à 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 à on LaTeX?

\`{a}.

Can I just copy and paste à?

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 à?

U+00E0. In HTML it is à.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for LaTeX