I'm practicing French and want to type characters such as é by pressing an apostrophe and then e. Right now the two keystrokes appear separately instead of combining. How can I enable dead keys or configure my keyboard to type accented characters?
3 Answers
You can also configure a Compose key in your desktop’s keyboard settings. This lets you keep your current layout and enter accented characters with a sequence such as Compose, apostrophe, then e. The available sequences depend on the system configuration.
Another option is to use an international keyboard layout. It keeps most familiar English key positions while allowing accent combinations, including apostrophe followed by e for é. Check the layout variants offered by your system and avoid the “nodeadkeys” version.
Choose a keyboard layout variant that supports dead keys rather than one labeled “nodeadkeys.” The exact steps depend on your desktop environment, but it should be available in the keyboard or input-language settings. With the right layout, pressing ' and then e will produce é.
If you normally use an English keyboard, an international or extended English layout may be easier than switching fully to a French AZERTY layout.