Capital Letter a with Diaeresis (Ä)
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Codes for the "Capital-Letter-a-with-Diaeresis" Symbol
Click on a green box to copy its contents.Formal Name:
Latin Capital Letter a with Diaeresis
The symbol:
Ä
The Alt Code:
Alt 196
The HTML Code:
Ä
HTML Entity:
Ä
CSS Code:
\00C4
Hex Code:
Ä
Unicode:
U+00C4

"A" with a Diaeresis Explained
The letter "a" with a diaeresis (ä) is used in several languages, including German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian, to represent a different sound or vowel quality than the unaccented letter "a". Here are ten examples of when the letter "a" with diaeresis is used:- In German, the letter "ä" represents a fronted, unrounded /ɛ/ sound. For example, "Mädchen" (girl) is pronounced "MÄD-chen", with the "ä" sound similar to the "e" sound in the English word "bed."
- In Swedish, the letter "ä" represents a fronted, unrounded /ɛ/ sound as well. For example, "bära" (to carry) is pronounced "BEH-ra", with the "ä" sound similar to the "e" sound in the English word "bet."
- In Finnish, the letter "ä" represents a fronted, unrounded /æ/ sound. For example, "läpi" (through) is pronounced "LAE-pi", with the "ä" sound similar to the "a" sound in the English word "cat."
- In Estonian, the letter "ä" represents a fronted, unrounded /æ/ sound as well. For example, "päev" (day) is pronounced "PAE-v", with the "ä" sound similar to the "a" sound in the English word "cat."
- In Hungarian, the letter "ä" represents a fronted, unrounded /ɛ/ sound. For example, "téma" (topic) is pronounced "TEH-muh", with the "ä" sound similar to the "e" sound in the English word "bed."
- In Finnish, the letter "ä" also indicates that the vowel is a separate syllable from the preceding vowel. For example, "kauppa" (store) is pronounced "KAU-pa", with the "ä" forming its own syllable.
- In some romanization systems, such as the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the letter "ä" is used to represent a fronted, unrounded vowel sound in other languages, such as Finnish and Estonian.
- In some loanwords from German, such as "Männer" (men) and "Führer" (leader), the letter "ä" is used in English to represent the fronted, unrounded vowel sound.
- In some loanwords from French, such as "naïve" and "maïs," the letter "ä" is used to indicate that the two vowels are pronounced separately, rather than forming a diphthong.
- In some personal or place names, such as "Häagen-Dazs" and "Mäkinen," the letter "ä" is used for historical or branding reasons, rather than to indicate a specific sound or vowel quality.
Alternative Names
The letter "a" with a diaeresis (ä) can also be called "a-umlaut" or "a with an umlaut." In some languages, such as German, it may be referred to as "a mit Umlaut" or "a-diaeresis." In Swedish, it is called "a med trema." In Finnish, it may be referred to as "a kirjaimen treema," and in Estonian, it is called "a-täpp." In some linguistic contexts, it may also be called "a with two dots" or "a with double dots."Test Your Knowledge of the Accented Letters
Here is a quick quiz to test your knowledge of the accented letters.View the Symbol in Different Sizes and Fonts
ABC Ä 123
ABC Ä 123
Attribute | Setting | Change |
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Font Size | ||
Font Family | Arial |
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Color/Colour |
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Video Explaining How to Insert Special Symbols
This video explains 7 ways to insert a special symbol into an MS Office application (e.g., Word) or a website using HTML, CSS, or JavaScript:How To Insert the Ä Symbol
(Method 1) Copy and paste the symbol.
Click on the Ä symbol from the table above. Press the "Copy" button, and then paste the symbol into your document.(Method 2) Use the "Alt Code."
The Alt Code for Ä is Alt 196. If you have a keyboard with a numeric pad, you can use this method. Simply hold down the Alt Key and type 196. When you lift the Alt Key, Ä appears. ("Num Lock" must be on.)(Method 3) Use the HTML Decimal Code (for webpages).
HTML Text | Output |
---|---|
Ä | Ä |
(Method 4) Use the HTML Entity Code (for webpages).
HTML Text | Output |
---|---|
Ä | Ä |
(Method 5) Use the CSS Code (for webpages).
CSS and HTML Text | Output |
---|---|
<style> span:after { content: "\00C4";} </style> <span>Symbol:</span> | Symbol: Ä |
(Method 6) Use the HTML Hex Code (for webpages and HTML canvas).
HTML Text | Output |
---|---|
Ä | Ä |
JavaScript Text |
---|
const x = "0x"+"C4" ctx.fillText(String.fromCodePoint(x), 5, 5); |
Output |
Ä |
(Method 7) Use the Unicode (for various, e.g. Microsoft Office, JavaScript, Perl).
The Unicode for Ä is U+00C4. The important part is the hexadecimal number after the U+, which is used in various formats. For example, in Microsoft Office applications (e.g. Word, PowerPoint), do the following:Type | Output |
---|---|
00C4 [Hold down Alt] [Press x] | Ä (Note that you can omit any leading zeros.) |
JavaScript Text | Output |
---|---|
let str = "\u00C4" document.write("My symbol: " + str) | My symbol: Ä |
(Method 8) Use an Image (for various).
HTML Text | Output |
---|---|
<img src = "myImg.png"/> | Ä |
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