How to Type æ (Ae ligature (ash)) on iPhone

Published August 26, 2026, 2 min read

Need æ on iPhone for a name, an address or a word in another language? You do not have to copy it from a website every time. The fastest method is Hold a, and there are a few backups below for when that one is not available.

æ on iPhone: Hold a

Æ on iPhone: Hold a

Or copy it:

Method 1: Long-press the letter

Open the keyboard in any app.
Touch and hold the a key.
Slide your finger to æ and lift it.

æ is on the long-press menu of the default English keyboard and Gboard shows a similar set.

Method 2: Add the French keyboard

Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
Tap Add New Keyboard and choose French.
Tap the globe key to switch while typing.

Method 3: Text Replacement

Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, tap +, paste æ as the phrase and type a shortcut such as ali. The shortcut syncs to your Mac through iCloud.

How to type the capital Æ

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

Long-press the letter

Open the keyboard in any app.
Touch and hold the A key (with Shift on).
Slide your finger to Æ and lift it.

Æ is on the long-press menu of the default English keyboard and Gboard shows a similar set.

Add the French keyboard

Open Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
Tap Add New Keyboard and choose French.
Tap the globe key to switch while typing.

About the letter æ

æ is Unicode U+00E6, named LATIN SMALL LETTER AE. It is used in French, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic and Faroese. See the æ character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

If no menu appears when you touch and hold, make sure you are not using a third-party keyboard that disables it.
Text Replacement shortcuts need a space or punctuation after them to expand.
Some apps with custom keyboards, such as games, do not support accents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for æ on iPhone?

Hold a.

Can I just copy and paste æ?

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 æ?

U+00E6. In HTML it is æ.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for iPhone