How to type Spanish accents on iPhone

The fastest way: press and hold

1. Hold your finger on the vowel (a, e, i, o or u) until a menu pops up.
2. Without lifting, slide to the accented letter (á) and let go.
3. For ñ, hold n. For ü, hold u: you'll see ú and ü.
4. For ¿ and ¡, tap 123, hold ? or ! and slide.

Quick table

Tap a letter in the first column to copy it.

Add the Spanish keyboard

1. Open Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards.
2. Tap Add New Keyboard and choose Spanish: (Spain), (Mexico) or (Latin America).
3. In any app, switch with the globe 🌐 at the bottom left. Hold the globe to pick from the list.

With the Spanish keyboard, ñ has its own key and autocorrect adds many accents: type “cancion” and it suggests “canción”. Words that are correct both ways (esta/está, tu/tú) are left alone; the accent rules explain which one you need.

Tips

• Two languages at once: with both English and Spanish keyboards added, predictions can come in both languages.
• Text Replacement: in Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement you can add shortcuts, e.g. xq → “porque”.
• Dictation: tap the microphone and speak Spanish; dictation adds accents and ¿ ¡.
• iPad with a hardware keyboard: Mac shortcuts work, like ⌥ E then the vowel.

Common problems

• The menu doesn't appear when I hold. Hold a little longer (half a second), and don't press hard; just hold.
• Autocorrect removes my accents. You're probably on the English keyboard. Switch to Spanish with the globe 🌐.