How to Type ä (A with umlaut) on LaTeX

Published August 26, 2026, 2 min read

The letter ä does not have its own key on an English keyboard, but LaTeX still makes it easy to type. Use \"{a}, or pick one of the other methods in this guide. ä appears in German, Slovak, Swedish and Finnish.

ä on LaTeX: \"{a}

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

Method 3: In math mode

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

How to type the capital Ä

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

About the letter ä

ä is Unicode U+00E4, named LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH DIAERESIS. It is used in German, Slovak, Swedish, Finnish and Estonian. Two dots above a letter. As a German umlaut it changes the vowel sound (ä, ö, ü); as a diaeresis in French, Dutch, Spanish or English (naïve, Noël) it shows that a vowel is pronounced separately. See the ä 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 ä on LaTeX?

\"{a}.

Can I just copy and paste ä?

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 ä?

U+00E4. In HTML it is ä.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for LaTeX