How to Type an I With an Accent Mark

Multiple accent variants across multiple platforms — here’s every method

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The letter I appears with several different accent marks depending on the language or context — í (acute), ì (grave), î (circumflex), ï (umlaut/diaeresis), ĩ (tilde), and ī (macron) being the most common.

The method for typing each one depends on your platform, and on most platforms there’s a shortcut that makes accented I characters accessible without hunting through character maps.

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The Accented I Characters

Character	Name	Unicode	Common Use
í / Í	I with acute	U+00ED / U+00CD	Spanish, Irish, Portuguese, Czech
ì / Ì	I with grave	U+00EC / U+00CC	Italian, Chinese romanization
î / Î	I with circumflex	U+00EE / U+00CE	French, Romanian
ï / Ï	I with diaeresis (umlaut)	U+00EF / U+00CF	French, Dutch, Spanish loanwords
ĩ / Ĩ	I with tilde	U+0129 / U+0128	Vietnamese, some Pacific languages
ī / Ī	I with macron	U+012B / U+012A	Latin, Japanese romanization, Māori

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Mac — All Accented I Characters

Method 1: Long Press the I Key

Hold down the I key and a popup appears showing all available accented I variants. Each option is numbered — press the corresponding number or click the character to insert it.

This works in virtually every Mac application and is the fastest method for occasional use. No setup required.

Method 2: Dead Key Shortcuts

Mac uses Option key combinations as dead keys — press the Option combination first, then press I to apply the accent:

• í (acute): Option + E, then I
• ì (grave): Option + `, then I
• î (circumflex): Option + I, then I
• ï (diaeresis): Option + U, then I
• ĩ (tilde): Option + N, then I
• ī (macron): Option + A, then I

For uppercase versions, use Shift + I as the second keystroke instead of I.

These are the methods to memorize for regular use on Mac. Each Option combination places a floating accent that applies to the next letter you type.

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Windows — All Accented I Characters

Method 1: Alt Codes (Numpad)

Hold Alt and type the code on the numeric keypad:

Character	Alt Code
í	Alt + 0237
Í	Alt + 0205
ì	Alt + 0236
Ì	Alt + 0204
î	Alt + 0238
Î	Alt + 0206
ï	Alt + 0239
Ï	Alt + 0207
ĩ	Character Map or Unicode input
ī	Character Map or Unicode input

Num Lock must be on. Use the numeric keypad only.

Method 2: US International Keyboard Layout

The US International keyboard layout adds dead key behavior to Windows without changing the rest of the keyboard. With it active:

• í: press ‘ (apostrophe) then I
• ì: press ` (backtick) then I
• î: press ^ (Shift + 6) then I
• ï: press “ (Shift + apostrophe) then I
• ĩ: press ~ (Shift + backtick) then I

To add the US International keyboard: Go to Settings → Time and Language → Language and Region. Click your language, select Options, and add United States-International as a keyboard.

Switch between keyboards using Windows + Space. This is the best long-term solution for anyone regularly typing accented characters in multiple languages.

Method 3: System-Wide Text Expansion

Use AutoHotkey or Espanso for a custom setup:

::i'::í
::i`::ì
::i^::î
::i"::ï

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iPhone and iPad

Method 1: Long Press the I Key

Tap and hold the I key on the iOS keyboard. A popup appears showing all accented I variants — í, ì, î, ï, and others depending on your iOS version. Slide your finger to the desired character and release.

This is the built-in iOS method and requires no setup. It works in every text field across iOS and is the fastest method for all accented I characters.

For uppercase versions, activate Caps Lock or tap Shift before long pressing, or long press the uppercase I key directly.

Method 2: Add a Language Keyboard

For languages you write in regularly, adding that language’s keyboard provides direct key access to commonly used accented characters. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard and add your language.

Method 3: Text Replacement

Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement for characters you use frequently that aren’t easily accessible through long press.

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Android

Method 1: Long Press the I Key

On Gboard and most Android keyboards, tap and hold the I key. A row of accented I variants appears. Slide to the desired character and release.

This works on most Android keyboards without setup and covers the most common accented I variants.

Method 2: Add Language Keyboard

In Gboard settings, go to Languages → Add Keyboard and add your language. Languages like French, Spanish, and Italian provide direct access to their specific accented characters.

Method 3: Gboard Symbol Search

In Gboard, tap the G logo and search for the specific character — “i acute” or “i circumflex” for example.

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Chromebook

Method 1: Unicode Input

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type the hex code, then press Enter or Space:

Character	Hex Code
í	00ed
Í	00cd
ì	00ec
Ì	00cc
î	00ee
Î	00ce
ï	00ef
Ï	00cf
ī	012b
Ī	012a

Method 2: International Keyboard

Go to Settings → Device → Keyboard → Input Methods and add US International or your specific language keyboard.

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Linux

Method 1: Unicode Input

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type the hex code, then press Enter. Same codes as Chromebook above.

Method 2: Compose Key

With a Compose key configured:

• í: Compose + ‘ + i
• ì: Compose + ` + i
• î: Compose + ^ + i
• ï: Compose + “ + i
• ĩ: Compose + ~ + i
• ī: Compose + – + i

For uppercase, use uppercase I in the sequence.

Method 3: Language Keyboard

Add your specific language keyboard through your desktop environment’s input settings.

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Microsoft Word (Any Platform)

Method 1: Built-In Shortcuts

Word has its own keyboard shortcuts for accented characters that work on both Windows and Mac:

• í: Ctrl + ‘ (apostrophe), then I
• ì: Ctrl + ` (backtick), then I
• î: Ctrl + Shift + ^ (caret), then I
• ï: Ctrl + Shift + : (colon), then I
• ĩ: Ctrl + Shift + ~ (tilde), then I

For uppercase, use Shift + I as the second keystroke.

These Word-specific shortcuts work regardless of your keyboard layout — they’re built into Word itself and don’t depend on your Windows or Mac keyboard configuration.

Method 2: Alt + X

Type the Unicode code point then immediately press Alt + X:

• 00ED then Alt + X → í
• 00EF then Alt + X → ï
• 00EE then Alt + X → î

Method 3: Insert Symbol With AutoCorrect

Go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, find the character, and set up an AutoCorrect trigger for characters you use frequently.

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Google Docs

Mac Option key shortcuts work inside Google Docs exactly as elsewhere. Windows Alt codes work inside Docs on Windows.

Also go to Insert → Special Characters, search the character name (like “i acute” or “i with circumflex”), and click to insert.

For regular use in a specific language, the OS-level keyboard method — US International on Windows, Option dead keys on Mac — is more efficient than the Insert menu for every character.

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HTML and Web Development

html

<!-- I with acute -->
&iacute;    <!-- í lowercase -->
&Iacute;    <!-- Í uppercase -->

<!-- I with grave -->
&igrave;    <!-- ì lowercase -->
&Igrave;    <!-- Ì uppercase -->

<!-- I with circumflex -->
&icirc;     <!-- î lowercase -->
&Icirc;     <!-- Î uppercase -->

<!-- I with diaeresis -->
&iuml;      <!-- ï lowercase -->
&Iuml;      <!-- Ï uppercase -->

<!-- I with macron (no named entity) -->
&#299;      <!-- ī decimal -->
&#x012B;    <!-- ī hex -->

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LaTeX

latex

% Accented I in text mode
\'i     % í  acute
\`i     % ì  grave
\^i     % î  circumflex
\"i     % ï  diaeresis
\~i     % ĩ  tilde
\=i     % ī  macron

% Uppercase versions
\'I     % Í
\`I     % Ì
\^I     % Î
\"I     % Ï

% With inputenc package — type directly
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
% Then type í, ì, î, ï directly in your source

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Best Long-Term Setup by Platform

If you type accented I characters regularly, the one-time setup that makes the most difference:

Windows: Add the US International keyboard layout. Dead key combinations for all accent types become available without memorizing Alt codes.

Mac: No setup needed — Option dead keys and long press are built in. Memorize Option + E for acute, Option + U for diaeresis, and Option + I for circumflex.

Mobile (iPhone and Android): Long press is built in and immediate — no setup required.

Word: Built-in shortcuts (Ctrl + accent key, then letter) work identically on Windows and Mac.

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Quick Reference — Lowercase í ì î ï ĩ ī

Accent	Mac	Windows (Alt)	Word	HTML
í acute	Option + E, I	Alt + 0237	Ctrl + ‘, I	í
ì grave	Option + `, I	Alt + 0236	Ctrl + `, I	ì
î circumflex	Option + I, I	Alt + 0238	Ctrl + Shift + ^, I	î
ï diaeresis	Option + U, I	Alt + 0239	Ctrl + Shift + :, I	ï
ĩ tilde	Option + N, I	Character Map	Ctrl + Shift + ~, I	ĩ
ī macron	Option + A, I	Character Map	Alt + X (012B)	ī

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The Bottom Line

On Mac, long press or Option dead keys cover every accented I without any setup. On Windows, the US International keyboard is a one-time addition that makes all accent types accessible through natural dead key combinations. On mobile, long press on the I key is built in on both iPhone and Android.

For Word specifically, the built-in Ctrl + accent shortcuts work consistently across both Windows and Mac versions and don’t require any keyboard layout changes.

Long press on mobile. Option dead keys on Mac. US International keyboard on Windows. Ctrl + accent in Word. Pick the method for your platform and every accented I is two keystrokes away.