Keyboard shortcuts
| Letter | Windows (Alt code) | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| å Å | Alt + 0229 / 0197 | Option + A |
| ä Ä | Alt + 0228 / 0196 | Option + U, then A |
| ö Ö | Alt + 0246 / 0214 | Option + U, then O |
| é É | Alt + 0233 / 0201 | Option + E, then E |
Mac: On a Mac, Option + A types å directly. For ä and ö, press Option + U, let go, then type a or o. Add Shift for the capital letter.
Windows: On Windows, turn on Num Lock, hold Alt and type the four-digit code on the numeric keypad. To write Swedish every day, add the Swedish keyboard in Settings: å, ä and ö have their own keys to the right of P and L.
iPhone and Android: On iPhone and Android, press and hold a or o to get å, ä and ö, or add the Swedish keyboard to get them as separate keys.
å, ä and ö are letters, not accents
In Swedish, å, ä and ö are separate letters, the last three of the alphabet: … x, y, z, å, ä, ö. In a dictionary, ärlig comes after zebra, not after arg.
- å sounds like the “o” in “more”: gå (to walk), båt (boat), på (on).
- ä sounds like the “e” in “bed”: äta (to eat), här (here), säng (bed).
- ö is like the “u” in “fur” with rounded lips: öl (beer), smör (butter), kött (meat).
Missing dots change the word
Because they are different letters, replacing them with a or o usually gives you another word:
- får (sheep, or gets) / far (father)
- hål (hole) / hal (slippery)
- säl (seal) / sal (hall) · kör (drives) / kor (cows)
- Swedish has no official ae or oe substitutes. In web addresses, å, ä and ö are usually written a, a and o: Malmö becomes malmo.
é and loanwords
Swedish also uses é in a handful of words to show the stress falls on the last syllable: idé (idea), armé (army), kafé (café). It is not a separate letter, and you will often see it written without the accent.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type å, ä and ö?
On Windows, hold Alt and type the code on the numeric keypad: Alt+0229 for å, Alt+0228 for ä and Alt+0246 for ö. On a Mac, press Option+A for å, and Option+U then A or O for ä and ö. On a phone, press and hold a or o. You can also click the letters on this page and copy them.
What is the difference between Swedish and Danish/Norwegian letters?
Swedish writes ä and ö where Danish and Norwegian write æ and ø, for the same sounds: Swedish smör, Norwegian smør (butter). All three use å. The alphabet order also differs: Swedish ends z, å, ä, ö, while Danish and Norwegian end z, æ, ø, å.
Is ä the same as the German ä?
It looks the same and the sound is similar, but in Swedish ä is its own letter at the end of the alphabet, while in German it is an a with an umlaut, sorted with a.
Can I write a and o instead of å, ä and ö?
Only in web addresses and email addresses. In normal text it is a spelling mistake, and it often turns the word into a different one, such as far (father) instead of får (sheep).