Lowercase and uppercase
ß ẞ
ß is the familiar lowercase Eszett. ẞ is its uppercase form.
COPY & TYPE / GERMAN ESZETT
German sharp S: ß and ẞ
Copy lowercase ß or uppercase ẞ. Find the correct character, typing methods, codes, and the ss fallback.
Click a character, then paste with Ctrl+V or ⌘V.
Characters 2Groups 1Format Unicode text
QUICK REFERENCE
Find the right character
KEYBOARD METHODS
How to type and insert these characters
Use Alt+0223 for ß
Turn Num Lock on, hold Alt, type 0223 on the numeric keypad, and release Alt. For ẞ, use Character Map, a German keyboard method supported by your layout, Word Unicode entry, or copy it from this page.
Press Option + S
On the US or ABC layout, Option + S produces ß. For uppercase ẞ, use Character Viewer or copy the character. Another keyboard layout may use a different shortcut.
Hold the S key
On many keyboards, hold S and choose ß. If the character is missing, add a German keyboard. Availability of ẞ depends on the keyboard app and layout.
Convert the Unicode value
Type 00DF and press Alt+X for ß. Type 1E9E and press Alt+X for ẞ. Select only the code before conversion if another letter or number comes immediately before it.
UNICODE REFERENCE
Character codes
| Character | Name | Group | Unicode | Windows Alt | HTML named | HTML decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ß | Lowercase sharp S | German sharp S | U+00DF | Alt+0223 | ß | ß |
| ẞ | Capital sharp S | German sharp S | U+1E9E | Not standard | Not listed | ẞ |
For ordinary writing, copy and paste the character itself. Use an HTML entity only in HTML source. A listed Windows Alt code requires a numeric keypad and may depend on the active character set.
USAGE GUIDE
What is ß?
The character ß is called Eszett or sharp S in German. It represents an S sound in German spelling and is a letter, not a decorative symbol.
German spelling uses both ß and ss. The choice depends on the word and vowel length, so do not automatically replace every ss with ß. Swiss Standard German normally uses ss instead of ß.
When ß cannot be used, ss is the normal fallback. Use ß or ẞ where appropriate whenever Unicode text is supported. In all-capital text, SS remains an established representation, while uppercase ẞ can also be used according to the word, typography, and applicable spelling requirements.
For a personal name or official record, preserve the spelling supplied by the person or issuing authority and follow the destination’s requirements. The ss fallback belongs to German spelling and should not be applied automatically to a similar-looking character in another language.
ß is not the Greek beta or the letter B
Lowercase ß can resemble β or B in some fonts, but they are different characters. Greek beta is β with U+03B2. German sharp S is ß with U+00DF. Uppercase sharp S is ẞ with U+1E9E.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about German sharp S
What is the uppercase version of ß?
The uppercase form is ẞ. In all-capital text, SS is also encountered, particularly when a font or system does not support ẞ.
Can I always replace ß with ss?
Lowercase ss is the normal technical fallback, but it is not visually identical and can affect how a name or word is recognized. Use the original spelling when possible.
Is ß an umlaut?
No. ß is a consonant called sharp S or Eszett. German umlaut letters are ä, ö, and ü.
Why does Alt+225 sometimes show a different symbol?
Short Alt codes can depend on an older code page. Use the four-digit Alt+0223 sequence for ß on Windows, or use Word’s 00DF followed by Alt+X.
Related character pages
References: Official German spelling rules, Unicode character charts, Apple accent entry guidance, Microsoft character code guidance.