The two dots above a letter are known as an umlaut or diaeresis. This diacritic mark is used to indicate that two adjacent vowels should be pronounced separately. While it is most often used in German, the umlaut can appear in words of other languages such as French and Spanish. In this article, we will discuss how to type an umlaut or diaeresis and the difference between an umlaut and an accent mark.
Difference Between Umlaut and Accent Mark
It is important to understand the difference between an umlaut and an accent mark. An umlaut is two dots that are placed above a letter, usually a vowel. An accent mark, on the other hand, is a sign that is placed above or below a letter to indicate a different pronunciation. Examples of accent marks include the acute (é) and grave (è) accent marks, which are used to indicate a change in the pronunciation of a letter.
How to Type an Umlaut or Diaeresis
When typing an umlaut or diaeresis, there are several methods you can use. For example, you can type an umlaut using the ‘Alt’ key on Windows or the ‘Option’ key on Mac. This method involves pressing and holding down the ‘Alt’ or ‘Option’ key, while using the number pad to enter the appropriate number code for the desired character.
Alternatively, you can type an umlaut using the character map. The character map is a utility that allows you to insert special characters into documents. To access the character map on Windows, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map. On Mac, you can access the Character Viewer by going to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources > Character Viewer.
Using an Umlaut in HTML
If you are using HTML, you can type an umlaut or diaeresis using the HTML entity code. For example, the HTML entity code for an umlaut over the letter ‘a’ is ä. To type an umlaut in HTML, simply type the HTML entity code for the desired character.