Type Characters With Cedilla Accent Marks

That fancy curlicue thing under the letter C, identified and explained

By
Jacci Howard Bear
Jacci Howard Bear
Writer
A graphic designer, writer, and artist who writes about and teaches print and web design.
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Updated on June 8, 2021
Reviewed by
Lisa Mildon
Lisa Mildon
Reviewed by Lisa Mildon
  • Southern New Hampshire University
Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

What to Know

  • On a Mac, press Option+C (for ç) or Option+Shift+C (for Ç).
  • On Windows, hold down ALT and enter 0199 (for Ç) or 0231 (for ç) on the numeric keypad.
  • In HTML, type the & (the ampersand symbol), the letter (such as C or c), and then the letters cedil, followed by a semicolon (;).

This article explains how to type a cedilla accent mark using Windows, Mac, or HTML.

What Is a Cedilla?

The cedilla is a diacritical mark that denotes a different pronunciation of the letter it appears under. A cedilla diacritical accent mark looks like a small tail and appears most often on the upper and lower case letter C in English, as in Ç and ç. Its appearance in English comes with words from French, Portuguese, Catalan, and Occitan. Perhaps the most familiar word in English using the cedilla is façade.

Computer monitor with cedilla marks on it.

Some applications configure special keystrokes for creating characters with diacriticals like the cedilla accent marks. Check the software manual or help files if the methods below don't work.

Make C With an Accent Mark in Mac

On a Mac, hold down the letter C key (or Shift+C for a capital letter) until a pop-up menu offers a set of character choices. Click the ç, or press the corresponding number key indicated. Alternately, press Option+C for the ç, or Option+Shift+C for the capital letter with the cedilla accent marks. 

Make C With an Accent Mark in Windows

On a Windows PC, hold down ALT while typing the appropriate number code on the numeric keypad to create the cedilla accent marks. Don't use the numbers at the top of the keyboard. Use the numeric keypad and be sure Num Lock is enabled:

  • 0199 (Ç)
  • 0231 (ç) 

If you're using a laptop without a numeric keypad, copy the character you want on this page (Ç or ç) and paste it wherever you want.

Make C With an Accent Mark in HTML

In HTML, create cedilla accented characters by typing the & (the ampersand symbol), the letter (such as C or c), and then the letters cedil, followed by a semicolon.

​In HTML, the cedilla accent marks may appear smaller than the surrounding text, so you might want to enlarge the font for those characters.

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