How to Type ę (E with ogonek) on Excel

Published July 1, 2026, 2 min read

Typing ę (e with ogonek) on Excel takes a few seconds once you know the trick. The short answer is =UNICHAR(281). Read on for step-by-step instructions, the uppercase Ę and what to do when a method does not work.

ę on Excel: =UNICHAR(281)

Ę on Excel: =UNICHAR(280)

Or copy it:

Method 1: UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(281) in a cell to get ę. To check a letter, =UNICODE("ę") returns 281. Both work in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

Method 2: Keyboard methods inside a cell

Double-click the cell, then use Insert → Symbol (Unicode hex 0119) on Windows or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 0119) on a Mac.

Method 3: Find and replace accented text

Use =SUBSTITUTE(A1,"ę","e") to strip this accent from a column, for example when cleaning names for an email system that does not accept accents.

How to type the capital Ę

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

UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(280) in a cell to get Ę. To check a letter, =UNICODE("Ę") returns 280. Both work in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

Keyboard methods inside a cell

Double-click the cell, then use Insert → Symbol (Unicode hex 0118) on Windows or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 0118) on a Mac.

About the letter ę

ę is Unicode U+0119, named LATIN SMALL LETTER E WITH OGONEK. It is used in Polish and Lithuanian. A small tail at the bottom right of a vowel, meaning “little tail” in Polish. It marks nasal vowels in Polish (ą, ę) and appears in Lithuanian (į, ų). See the ę character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

UNICHAR is not available in Excel 2010 and earlier.
CSV files saved as plain "CSV" may lose accents. Save as "CSV UTF-8".
If accents show as question marks after import, set the file origin to 65001: Unicode (UTF-8) in the import wizard.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for ę on Excel?

=UNICHAR(281).

Can I just copy and paste ę?

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 ę?

U+0119. In HTML it is ę.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Excel