B is one of the letters that almost never takes an accent. Natural languages leave it plain; the marked forms that exist, B with stroke (Ƀ ƀ), B with hook (Ɓ) and B with topbar (Ƃ ƃ), belong to phonetic notation and a few African orthographies, not to English or the major European languages. Tap any character below to copy it.
01 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
On Windows
- For any other form, press Win + . to open the emoji & symbol panel, switch to the Symbols tab and search the accent name.
- Or type the code from the table below into Microsoft Word and press Alt + X, for example 0243 then Alt+X gives Ƀ.
On Mac
- Open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space and search the accent name, for example the letter followed by the accent.
- To type these often, add the ABC – Extended input source in Keyboard settings and use its accent dead keys before the letter.
Microsoft Word & Google Docs
- In Word, type the four-character code then press Alt + X, for example 0243 then Alt+X becomes Ƀ.
- Or use Insert → Symbol → More Symbols and pick the letter from the Latin subset.
- In Google Docs, use Insert → Special characters and search latin b, or draw the accent in the sketch box.
On phones (iOS & Android)
- Most phone keyboards do not offer an accent popup for B, since these forms are rare. Copy the one you need from the keys above and paste it where you are typing.
- On iOS you can also add a third-party keyboard, or use the built-in dictation and text-replacement features to insert a saved character.
02 Characters in this set
03 Codes for every accented form
Unicode point, HTML entity and the Windows shortcut for each form. Codes shown as Alt 0nnn are typed on the numeric keypad; codes shown as hhhh Alt+X are typed in Microsoft Word, then converted with Alt+X.
| Character | Accent | Unicode | HTML | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ƀ | Stroke · capital | U+0243 |
Ƀ |
0243 Alt+X |
|
| ƀ | Stroke · small | U+0180 |
ƀ |
0180 Alt+X |
|
| Ɓ | Hook · capital | U+0181 |
Ɓ |
0181 Alt+X |
|
| Ƃ | Topbar · capital | U+0182 |
Ƃ |
0182 Alt+X |
|
| ƃ | Topbar · small | U+0183 |
ƃ |
0183 Alt+X |
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Ɓ vs B | B-hook vs plain B | Ɓ (a B with a rightward hook) is a separate phonetic letter for an implosive /ɓ/ sound in languages like Hausa and Fula. Ordinary B is unmarked. |
| ƀ vs b | B-stroke vs plain b | ƀ is a crossed B used in phonetic and some minority-language writing; it is not the same as a plain b and not an everyday character. |
| Ƀ vs Ƶ vs Ⱦ | Different stroked letters | A bar through a letter is letter-specific, Ƀ is a stroked B, Ƶ a stroked Z, Ⱦ a stroked T. Copy the exact one you need rather than reusing a look-alike. |
05 FAQ
Does the letter B take an accent?
Not in English or the major European languages, B is written plain. The marked forms (Ƀ, ƀ, Ɓ, Ƃ, ƃ) come from phonetic alphabets and specific African orthographies, so most people will never need them.
What is Ɓ (B with a hook)?
Ɓ is a distinct letter that stands for an implosive b sound, /ɓ/. It appears in the orthographies of languages such as Hausa, Fula and Zarma, and in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
How do I type ƀ or Ɓ?
These have no Windows Alt code. In Microsoft Word type the hex code shown in the table above (for example 0180) and press Alt+X, or copy the character straight from the keys on this page.
Is ƀ the same as the Croatian đ?
No. ƀ is a stroked B and đ is a stroked D (used in Croatian and Vietnamese). They look loosely similar but are different letters with different codepoints, use the one that matches your language.
Where would I actually see an accented B?
Mostly in linguistics papers, IPA transcriptions and printed materials for certain West African languages. Everyday text in European languages never marks the B.