How to Type ë (E with umlaut) on iPhone

Published August 21, 2026, 2 min read

Need ë 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 e, and there are a few backups below for when that one is not available.

ë on iPhone: Hold e

Ë on iPhone: Hold e

Or copy it:

Method 1: Long-press the letter

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

ë 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 ë as the phrase and type a shortcut such as eum. The shortcut syncs to your Mac through iCloud.

How to type the capital Ë

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 E key (with Shift on).
Slide your finger to Ë and lift it.

Ë 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 ë

ë is Unicode U+00EB, named LATIN SMALL LETTER E WITH DIAERESIS. It is used in French, Dutch, Welsh, Albanian and Afrikaans. 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 ë 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 ë on iPhone?

Hold e.

Can I just copy and paste ë?

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 ë?

U+00EB. In HTML it is ë.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for iPhone