How to Type ŵ (W with circumflex) on Excel

Published April 30, 2026, 2 min read

The letter ŵ does not have its own key on an English keyboard, but Excel still makes it easy to type. Use =UNICHAR(373), or pick one of the other methods in this guide. ŵ appears in Welsh.

ŵ on Excel: =UNICHAR(373)

Ŵ on Excel: =UNICHAR(372)

Or copy it:

Method 1: UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(373) in a cell to get ŵ. To check a letter, =UNICODE("ŵ") returns 373. 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 0175) on Windows or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 0175) on a Mac.

Method 3: Find and replace accented text

Use =SUBSTITUTE(A1,"ŵ","w") 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 Ŵ

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

UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(372) in a cell to get Ŵ. To check a letter, =UNICODE("Ŵ") returns 372. 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 0174) on Windows or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 0174) on a Mac.

About the letter ŵ

ŵ is Unicode U+0175, named LATIN SMALL LETTER W WITH CIRCUMFLEX. It is used in Welsh. A small caret (^) above a vowel. In French it often marks a vanished s (forêt from forest), in Portuguese a closed vowel, in Welsh a long vowel, and in Vietnamese a distinct vowel (â, ê, ô). See the ŵ 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 ŵ on Excel?

=UNICHAR(373).

Can I just copy and paste ŵ?

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 ŵ?

U+0175. In HTML it is ŵ.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Excel