Where is e-acute on an AZERTY keyboard?

On the number row, above the 2, in direct access. The same goes for e-grave above the 7, c-cedilla above the 9 and a-grave above the 0, each on a single keystroke.

How do you type a circumflex?

With the dead key to the right of P: press it, nothing appears, then type the vowel, which comes out accented. The diaeresis uses the same key with shift added.

Why do my accents produce two characters?

Because the vowel was typed before the dead key took effect. It is a two-step gesture and it becomes automatic by repeating it on its own before meeting it inside a text.

Should capitals carry accents in French?

Yes, that is the correct form, and in a transcription an unaccented capital counts as a different character. The key combination varies by operating system, so check on your own machine.

Does an accent count as one keystroke or two?

It depends: AZERTY's four direct-access accents cost one keystroke, while the circumflex and diaeresis cost two because they go through a dead key.

ANSWER

How do you type accents on an AZERTY keyboard?

On an AZERTY keyboard e-acute, e-grave, c-cedilla and a-grave sit directly on the number row and cost one keystroke each. The circumflex and diaeresis go through a dead key to the right of P: press it, nothing appears, then the next vowel comes out accented. Accented capitals need the shift key as well.

Practise on accented French text →

The accents in direct access

This is AZERTY's distinctive feature and it is convenient: e-acute, e-grave, c-cedilla and a-grave each occupy a key on the number row, above the 2, 7, 9 and 0 respectively. One keystroke each. No US keyboard does this, which is why a typing course translated from English never teaches them. A French speaker learning on English material meets these keys afterwards and keeps the hesitation for a long time. The practical consequence is that they belong in the first sessions, alongside the letters, rather than being treated as an extra.

The dead key, and the two-step gesture

The circumflex and the diaeresis share a key to the right of P. It produces nothing when pressed: it waits for the next vowel and marks it. That is what a dead key means. So an e-circumflex is the circumflex key, then e. An e-diaeresis adds shift at the dead-key step, then e. The commonest mistake is not forgetting the accent but typing the vowel too early, before the dead key has taken effect, which produces two separate characters instead of one. It is a gesture to automate on its own before meeting it inside a text.

Accented capitals

They are correct in French and many people omit them believing the opposite. On AZERTY they need a combination: caps lock then the e-acute key, or on some systems a combination with the alt key. Operating systems differ here more than anywhere else on the keyboard, and it is the one place worth checking your own machine rather than following a general rule. In a transcription exercise, an unaccented capital where the original carries one counts as a different character, exactly like a wrong letter.

What it costs, and why the words count hides it

A vowel typed through a dead key consumes two keystrokes to produce one character on screen. The four direct-access accents consume one. The words-per-minute count sees neither, since it counts characters displayed. The keystrokes count sees the real work, which is one reason it compares better across languages. To measure the effect on your own typing, take a test in French and then the same in English: the gap in words will be larger than the gap in keystrokes.

Frequently asked questions

Where is e-acute on an AZERTY keyboard?
+
On the number row, above the 2, in direct access. The same goes for e-grave above the 7, c-cedilla above the 9 and a-grave above the 0, each on a single keystroke.
How do you type a circumflex?
+
With the dead key to the right of P: press it, nothing appears, then type the vowel, which comes out accented. The diaeresis uses the same key with shift added.
Why do my accents produce two characters?
+
Because the vowel was typed before the dead key took effect. It is a two-step gesture and it becomes automatic by repeating it on its own before meeting it inside a text.
Should capitals carry accents in French?
+
Yes, that is the correct form, and in a transcription an unaccented capital counts as a different character. The key combination varies by operating system, so check on your own machine.
Does an accent count as one keystroke or two?
+
It depends: AZERTY's four direct-access accents cost one keystroke, while the circumflex and diaeresis cost two because they go through a dead key.

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