Letters With Accents › B with accent
A b with accent is a rare thing. The letter b keeps its plain shape in almost every European language, but a few marked forms do exist, and you can copy them here in a click. You will meet ḃ (b-dot), used in old Irish, and the dotted and lined variants that turn up in phonetics. Every accented b on the page is one tap away.
How do I type a b with a dot (ḃ)? Windows: hold Alt, type 7683. Mac: use the Character Viewer. Phone: the copy grid above is fastest. Steps below.
Copy & Paste B With Accent
Click any b with accent to copy it.
Small letter b
Capital letter B
How to type B with accent on every device
Because a b with accent is so uncommon, no mainstream keyboard gives it a dedicated key. That makes the copy grid at the top the quickest tool most of the time. Still, here is how to enter one manually on each platform, using the b-dot ḃ.
Windows, ALT code
With Num Lock on, hold Alt and type 7683 for ḃ, then release. Capital Ḃ is Alt 7682. The b with accent alt code for each variant sits in the table below.
Windows, Word (Alt+X)
Type the hex code and press Alt + X: 1E03 then Alt + X gives ḃ.
Windows, emoji & symbol panel
Press Win + ., open the Symbols tab, and pick the character, handy since there is no shortcut for these.
Mac, Character Viewer
Open the Character Viewer (Control + Command + Space), search for “b with dot”, and double-click to insert.
iPhone, iPad & Android
Phone keyboards do not offer these rare forms in the press-and-hold menu, so copy the character from the grid at the top of this page and paste it.
Linux
Ctrl + Shift + U, type 1e03, then Enter for ḃ.
HTML & web
On the web, ḃ is ḃ. The technical table lists the hex and CSS forms too.
Excel & Google Sheets
Use =UNICHAR(7683) for ḃ, or the matching decimal for another variant.
Typing B with accent on different language keyboards
Almost no living keyboard layout includes a marked b, because the forms are so specialised. Irish and various phonetic uses are the main homes for them.
Irish (old orthography)
In older Irish spelling, a dot above a consonant marked lenition, so ḃ stood for a softened b sound. Modern Irish writes this as “bh” instead, so ḃ is mostly seen in historical texts.
Phonetic & linguistic use
The dot-below ḅ and line-below ḇ are used in transliteration and phonetic notation, for example when romanising Semitic or Indic languages.
African languages
A hooked b (ɓ) represents an implosive sound in languages such as Hausa and Fula. It is a different character from the dotted forms shown here, but worth knowing if you are typing those names.
General keyboards
Since no standard layout carries these, the practical answer for a b with accent is almost always to copy it from the grid above and paste it where you need it.
Keyboard shortcuts for B with accent (Microsoft Word)
In Word and most Office apps, hold the combination, release it, then press b (or B for a capital).
| Accent letter | Keyboard shortcut |
|---|---|
| ḃ (b-dot) | No Word shortcut, use ALT 7683 or the copy grid |
| ḅ (b-dot below) | Use ALT 7685 or the copy grid |
| ḇ (b-line below) | Use ALT 7687 or the copy grid |
Languages that use B with accent, with examples
Each b with accent belongs to specific languages. Here is what each one means and where it is used.
ḃ, b with dot above
The main marked b. In older Irish orthography, a dot above the letter, giving ḃ, showed that the b was lenited (softened). Today Irish writes the same sound as “bh”, so you will spot ḃ mostly in historical and scholarly texts.
ḅ, b with dot below
ḅ is a transliteration character. It appears when romanising languages that need an extra “b”-type sound not found in English, and in phonetic notation.
ḇ, b with line below
ḇ, a b with a bar underneath, is also used in transliteration, for instance in some systems for Hebrew and other Semitic languages.
A note on the hooked b (ɓ)
Several African languages, including Hausa and Fula, use a hooked b, ɓ, for an implosive sound. It is a separate letter from the dotted forms above, but if you are typing African names you may need it, so it is worth knowing it exists.
B with accent, full ALT code list
Every b with accent mark has its own Windows ALT code, so you can find the exact b with accent alt code below. Hold Alt and type the number on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.
↔ Swipe the table sideways to see the language column.
| ALT code | Symbol | Description → (scroll right) | Used in (languages) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALT 7683 | ḃ | Small Letter b with dot above | Irish (old orthography) |
| ALT 7685 | ḅ | Small Letter b with dot below | Rare: transliteration / phonetic notation |
| ALT 7687 | ḇ | Small Letter b with line below | Rare: transliteration / phonetic notation |
| ALT 7682 | Ḃ | Capital Letter B with dot above | Irish (old orthography) |
| ALT 7684 | Ḅ | Capital Letter B with dot below | Rare: transliteration / phonetic notation |
| ALT 7686 | Ḇ | Capital Letter B with line below | Rare: transliteration / phonetic notation |
Technical codes for developers (Unicode, HTML, CSS, JS)
For designers and developers: the Unicode code point and HTML, CSS and JavaScript escapes for every b with accent variant.
| Symbol | Unicode | HTML (dec) | HTML (hex) | CSS | JS / Java |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ḃ | U+1E03 |
ḃ |
ḃ |
1E03 |
u1E03 |
| ḅ | U+1E05 |
ḅ |
ḅ |
1E05 |
u1E05 |
| ḇ | U+1E07 |
ḇ |
ḇ |
1E07 |
u1E07 |
| Ḃ | U+1E02 |
Ḃ |
Ḃ |
1E02 |
u1E02 |
| Ḅ | U+1E04 |
Ḅ |
Ḅ |
1E04 |
u1E04 |
| Ḇ | U+1E06 |
Ḇ |
Ḇ |
1E06 |
u1E06 |
Other letters with accents you may need
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B with accent, frequently asked questions
Why is a b with an accent so rare?
Most European languages never needed to mark the letter b, so few marked forms developed. The ones that exist, like the Irish ḃ, come from specific historical spelling systems rather than everyday use.
What is the b with accent alt code?
The main b with accent alt code values are ḃ = Alt 7683 (capital Ḃ = Alt 7682), ḅ = Alt 7685, ḇ = Alt 7687. The full table lists them all.
How do I copy an accented b quickly?
Because no standard keyboard has these keys, the fastest way is to click the b with accent mark you want in the copy grid at the top of this page, then paste it with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac).
How do you write a lowercase cursive b?
In handwriting, a lowercase cursive b starts on the baseline, loops up and back down, and joins to the next letter with a small exit stroke. Cursive is a handwriting style rather than an accent, so there is no single “correct” printed shape, but here is a script version of the letter you can copy and paste:
How do you write a capital cursive B?
A capital cursive B is larger and more decorative, usually begun with a flourish before the main body of the letter. Practising on lined paper helps you keep the slant consistent. Copy the script capital here to use in a title or name: