German 202

How to type umlauts and ß

Spelling counts in your online exercises as it does in all your written work, including the final examination. Accepted substitutes for the umlauts are the vowels followed by an e (ä=ae, ö=oe, ü=ue). You may type double s (ss) for the ß or you may insert these characters by following the directions below.

In Microsoft Word, click on Insert, click on Symbol. Highlight the umlauted vowel of your choice, then click on auto correct. You may also define a shortcut key.

An efficient, long term solution is to install the German characters on your keyboard. Go to control panel, click on Languages and follow the instructions. You may have to play around to find the keys. They are usually on the right hand side of the key pad. Try typing the semi-colon, the quotation marks, the brackets, etc. The position of the y and z will change. Experiment! You very quickly learn where to find the ä, ö, ü, and ß.