How to Type ÿ (Y with umlaut) on iPhone

Published July 25, 2026, 2 min read

Typing ÿ (y with umlaut) on iPhone takes a few seconds once you know the trick. The short answer is Hold y. Read on for step-by-step instructions, the uppercase Ÿ and what to do when a method does not work.

ÿ on iPhone: Hold y

Ÿ on iPhone: Hold y

Or copy it:

Method 1: Long-press the letter

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

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

How to type the capital Ÿ

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 Y key (with Shift on).
Slide your finger to Ÿ and lift it.

Ÿ 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 ÿ

ÿ is Unicode U+00FF, named LATIN SMALL LETTER Y WITH DIAERESIS. It is used in French. 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 ÿ 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 ÿ on iPhone?

Hold y.

Can I just copy and paste ÿ?

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 ÿ?

U+00FF. In HTML it is ÿ.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for iPhone