How to Type ö (O with umlaut) on LaTeX

Published August 31, 2026, 2 min read

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

ö on LaTeX: \"{o}

Ö on LaTeX: \"{O}

Or copy it:

Method 1: LaTeX command

Write \"{o} 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 ö into your source. On Overleaf, set the compiler in Menu → Compiler.

Method 3: In math mode

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

How to type the capital Ö

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

LaTeX command

Write \"{O} 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 Ö into your source. On Overleaf, set the compiler in Menu → Compiler.

About the letter ö

ö is Unicode U+00F6, named LATIN SMALL LETTER O WITH DIAERESIS. It is used in German, Hungarian, Turkish, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Dutch 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 ö 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 ö on LaTeX?

\"{o}.

Can I just copy and paste ö?

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 ö?

U+00F6. In HTML it is ö.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for LaTeX