Eszett (sharp S) (ß)
U+00DF · LATIN SMALL LETTER SHARP S · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type ß
Windows
Alt code (numeric keypad)
Alt+0223
Turn on Num Lock, hold the Alt key, type 0223 on the numeric keypad and let go of Alt: ß appears.
The shorter code Alt+225 works too in most programs.
Word and Outlook: Alt + X
00DF Alt+X
Type 00DF and press Alt+X right after it: Word turns the code into ß. Press Alt+X again to turn it back into the code.
Emoji and symbols panel (Windows 10 and 11)
Win+.
Press Win + full stop (.) to open the panel, go to the Symbols tab (Ω) and pick ß.
No numeric keypad on your laptop? See the other ways in our Alt codes guide.
Mac
Keyboard shortcut (U.S. layout)
⌥ Option+S
Press ⌥ Option+S to type ß. This is on the standard U.S. and U.S. English Mac layouts.
Character Viewer
Ctrl+⌘ Cmd+Space
Press Ctrl+⌘+Space (or the Globe key + E), search for “eszett (sharp S)” and click ß to insert it.
iPhone
Make a shortcut (Text Replacement)
Turn a short word into ß once and type it in any app:
- Copy ß from this page.
- Open Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement and tap +.
- Paste ß as the Phrase and type a Shortcut, for example ;eszett.
- Now type ;eszett anywhere: the keyboard suggests ß.
Android
Make a shortcut (Gboard personal dictionary)
Teach your keyboard a short word that turns into ß:
- Copy ß from this page.
- Open Gboard settings › Dictionary › Personal dictionary, choose your language and tap +.
- Paste ß as the word and type a shortcut, for example ;eszett.
- Type ;eszett in any app and tap ß in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 00df Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 00df and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What ß means and how it is used
In Unicode, ß is code point U+00DF with the official name LATIN SMALL LETTER SHARP S. It belongs to the Latin-1 Supplement block and arrived with Unicode 1.1 in 1993.
You will find it in our special letters (accented and Latin), 253 symbols in all, together with º ª Ø ñ ç.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML entity | ß | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | ß | |
| HTML hex | ß | |
| CSS | content: "\00DF"; | |
| JavaScript | \u00DF | |
| URL | %C3%9F | |
| UTF-8 bytes | C3 9F | |
| Unicode | U+00DF |
Will it show on my friend's phone?
ß has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.
Checking your device…
Don't confuse ß with
These look alike but are different characters. Search, sorting and screen readers treat them differently, so copy the one you mean.
- ßEszett (sharp S)U+00DF · LATIN SMALL LETTER SHARP S
- Beta symbolU+03B2 · GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA · Greek and Coptic
- Greek beta symbolU+03D0 · GREEK BETA SYMBOL · Greek and Coptic
- Latin capital letter sharp sU+1E9E · LATIN CAPITAL LETTER SHARP S · Latin Extended Additional
- ᏰU+13F0 · Cherokee
- ꞴU+A7B5 · Latin Extended-D
- ꟖU+A7D6 · Latin Extended-D
Names in other languages
What ß is called in the 12 languages of this site (Unicode CLDR and our editors). Tap a name to open that language's page.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Eszett (sharp S) |
| Português | Eszett (s alemão) |
| Español | Eszett (doble s alemana) |
| Italiano | Eszett (s tedesca) |
| Français | Eszett (s dur allemand) |
| Deutsch | Eszett (scharfes S) |
| Türkçe | Eszett (Almanca keskin s) |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Eszett (huruf Jerman) |
| Polski | Eszett (niemieckie ostre s) |
| Русский | Эсцет (немецкая буква) |
| 日本語 | エスツェット |
| 한국어 | 에스체트 |
Related symbols
All Letters →Questions people ask
How do I type ß on a laptop without a numeric keypad?
On Windows press Win + full stop (.) and pick ß in the Symbols tab, or in Word type 00DF and press Alt+X. On a Mac press ⌥ Option+S.
What is the difference between ß and β?
ß is the eszett (sharp S) (U+00DF). β is a different character: beta symbol (U+03B2, Greek and Coptic block). They can look alike, but computers treat them as different letters, so a search for one will not find the other.
How do I type ß on an iPhone?
The iPhone keyboard has no key for ß. Copy it here, then add it in Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement with a shortcut like ;eszett.
What is the HTML code for the eszett (sharp S)?
Use the entity ß or the numeric code ß (hex ß). In CSS write \00DF, in JavaScript \u00DF.
Will ß show on every phone?
ß has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.