Macron Letters
The level bar stretches a vowel long: ā, ē, ī, ō and ū are everyday letters in Latvian, Lithuanian, Māori and Hawaiian, and in Hanyu Pinyin the macron writes Mandarin’s first, high-level tone (ā). This site lists 30 letters carrying the mark — click any letter below to copy it.
All 30 macron letters, A to Z
Click a letter to copy it; click its name for the letter’s own page with codes and typing guides.
Browse by letter
How to type the macron
Every device hides a route into these letters. Pick your platform:
Windows
ā
0101thenAltX
ē
0113thenAltX
ī
012BthenAltX
ō
014DthenAltX
ū
016BthenAltX
- Windows has no Ctrl shortcut for the macron. In Microsoft Word, type the letter’s code point and press Alt+X — the code converts in place.
- Outside Word, press Win + . and look under the emoji panel’s Symbols tab.
Tip: Each letter’s own page on this site lists its exact code point.
Mac
ā
apress & hold
ē
epress & hold
ī
ipress & hold
ō
opress & hold
ū
upress & hold
- Press and hold the vowel key itself — the pop-up offers ā, ē, ī, ō and ū.
- Type the number shown under the one you want.
Tip: There is no Option dead key for the macron; the press-and-hold pop-up is the native route.
iPhone & Android
ā
apress & hold
ē
epress & hold
ī
ipress & hold
ō
opress & hold
ū
upress & hold
- Press and hold the vowel on the on-screen keyboard.
- Slide to the macron form in the pop-up row and release.
Tip: iPhone and Android long-press menus both include the macron vowels.