Shows that two vowels are pronounced separately rather than as a blend, seen in naïve or Brontë .
They act as a "guide" for the reader, ensuring names like Zoë aren't mispronounced as "Zo". diacritic
Visually identical to the diaeresis but used in Germanic languages to change vowel quality, often seen in band names like Motörhead for aesthetic flair. ⌨️ How to Type Them Quickly Shows that two vowels are pronounced separately rather
Using a diacritic often signals that a word is a "loanword" from another language (e.g., frappé or açai ). ⌨️ How to Type Them Quickly Using a
They distinguish words that look identical, like the verb resume (to start again) vs. the noun résumé (a CV).
Indicates stress or a specific vowel sound, as in résumé or café .
If you don't have a dedicated keyboard, you can use these shortcuts in or Outlook : Key Shortcut Acute Ctrl + ' , then letter á, é, ó Grave Ctrl + ` , then letter Tilde Ctrl + Shift + ~ , then letter Umlaut Ctrl + Shift + : , then letter Cedilla Ctrl + , , then c 💡 Why They Matter