The accented forms of L are ĺ, ļ, ľ, Ĺ, Ļ, and Ľ. None of them has a Windows Alt code, so the fastest route on Windows is Word’s Alt+X trick: type the hex value (for example 013A) and press Alt+X to turn it into ĺ.
On Mac, the reliable method is the Character Viewer (Ctrl+Cmd+Space). Everywhere else, copy the glyph below and paste it.
Because there is no Alt code for any L with accent, the numeric-keypad method most competitors reach for simply does nothing here. The three marks in this set are the acute, the cedilla, and the caron, and each has an uppercase and a lowercase form. The table below carries every verified code you need.
L with accent: full reference table
| Character | Unicode name | Code point | Windows Alt code | Word (Alt+X) | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ĺ | U+013A | U+013A | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 013A then Alt+X | 013A then Alt+X | ĺ |
| Ĺ | U+0139 | U+0139 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 0139 then Alt+X | 0139 then Alt+X | Ĺ |
| ļ | U+013C | U+013C | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 013C then Alt+X | 013C then Alt+X | ļ |
| Ļ | U+013B | U+013B | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 013B then Alt+X | 013B then Alt+X | Ļ |
| ľ | U+013E | U+013E | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 013E then Alt+X | 013E then Alt+X | ľ |
| Ľ | U+013D | U+013D | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 013D then Alt+X | 013D then Alt+X | Ľ |
The HTML column uses the decimal numeric entity. If you prefer hex, the same character works as ĺ for ĺ, and so on down the column. The code point in the third column is the Unicode value written in hex, which is also the number you feed to Word’s Alt+X and to a Mac hex-input keyboard.
How the three accent marks differ
This set contains three distinct marks, and mixing them up is the most common way to type the wrong character. The acute (ĺ, Ĺ) is a single stroke leaning to the right, sitting above the letter. The caron (ľ, Ľ) is named for a small v-shape, though on a tall letter like L it usually renders as an upright tick beside the top of the stem rather than above it.
The cedilla (ļ, Ļ) hangs below the letter as a small hook. It is the same mark you already know from the ç in “façade.” Each mark has a matching uppercase and lowercase code point, so Ĺ and ĺ are separate characters, not a case toggle of one code.
Windows
There is no Alt code for any L with accent, so a numeric keypad will not help you here. Ignore any site that lists one. You have two working routes on Windows.
Character Map
- Press the Windows key, type Character Map, and open it.
- Tick Advanced view, then type the character name or code point (for example 013E) in the search box.
- Double-click the glyph, click Copy, and paste it where you need it.
The emoji panel (Win + .) does not contain these letters, so skip it. For a shortcut you can reuse, see the accent-friendly options in our on-screen accent keyboard.
Mac
Mac has no Alt codes, and the standard Option-key dead keys do not produce these particular L forms, so the dependable method is the Character Viewer.
- Press Ctrl+Cmd+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Search for the character name, such as “L with caron,” or paste the code point.
- Double-click the result to insert it into the active text field.
If you type these letters often, enable the Unicode Hex Input keyboard in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources. With it active, hold Option and type the four-digit hex code point (for example Option + 013A for ĺ). This only works while that input source is selected.
Microsoft Word (and PowerPoint)
Word gives you the quickest desktop method. Type the hex code point from the table, then press Alt+X, and Word replaces it with the letter. For ľ you would type 013E and press Alt+X. This also works in Outlook and OneNote.
If Alt+X converts the wrong number of digits, select exactly the four hex characters first, then press Alt+X. The menu route is Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, where you can search by the code point in the “Character code” box. The same Insert → Symbol dialog works in PowerPoint, which has no Alt+X shortcut of its own — use the dialog or paste the glyph there.
Excel and Google Sheets
Alt+X does not work in Excel. Use the UNICHAR function with the decimal code point: =UNICHAR(314) returns ĺ, and =UNICHAR(318) returns ľ. Convert the formula to a fixed value with Copy, then Paste Special → Values if you need plain text.
Google Sheets has no Insert → Symbol menu, so UNICHAR is your friend there too: =UNICHAR(316) gives ļ. To type or paste inside a cell, press F2 first to enter edit mode, then paste. The decimal numbers here are the same values shown in the HTML column of the table above.
Google Docs
- Open Insert → Special characters.
- Type the character name in the search box, or draw the mark in the sketch pad to find it.
- Click the glyph to drop it at the cursor.
Docs has no Alt+X support, so do not carry the Word method over. Once a character is in your document, you can also set up an autocorrect rule under Tools → Preferences to expand a short code like \lcaron into ľ.
iPhone and Android
The stock keyboards on both phones do not offer these L letters through the press-and-hold menu, holding the L key gives you list options, not accented Ls. The quickest fix is to paste the glyph from the copy buttons near the top of this page.
For repeat use, create a text replacement. On iPhone, go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, paste ľ as the phrase, and set a shortcut such as lcar.
On Android, add it under Settings → System → Languages & input → Personal dictionary. Typing the shortcut then expands to the letter anywhere.
Chromebook
ChromeOS has no Alt codes, and a USB numpad will not change that. Use the Unicode shortcut instead: hold Ctrl+Shift+U, release, then type the hex code point and press Enter or Space.
For ĺ type 013a; for Ľ type 013d. An underlined u appears while you enter the digits, type the code only, with no U+ prefix.
Some web fields swallow the shortcut. If nothing appears, open the symbol picker with Launcher+Shift+Space (or the Quick Insert key on newer models), or just paste the character.
Notion, Slack, Discord and Canva
None of these apps has a built-in shortcut for L with accent, so the answer is the same across all four: paste the glyph. Copy ĺ, ļ, ľ, Ĺ, Ļ, or Ľ from the buttons above and drop it in.
To avoid pasting every time, use each app’s replacement feature. Slack has Preferences → Advanced → text replacement style options through your OS, Notion respects the system text replacements you set on Mac or iPhone, and Canva accepts the character in any text box once pasted. Discord has no native shortcut, so a saved text replacement or a pinned message is the practical fallback.
HTML and CSS
On the web, use the numeric entities from the table: ľ renders ľ and Ĺ renders Ĺ. The hex form works too, for example ľ. In CSS content values, escape the code point with a backslash and the hex value, such as content: "\013E";.
Precomposed characters versus combining marks
Every glyph in this guide is a precomposed character: one code point that already carries its mark. You can also build the same visual result by placing a plain L next to a combining mark, such as L + combining caron (U+030C). Both look identical on screen, but they are not the same data.
This matters for search, filenames, form validation, and copy-paste. A search for the precomposed ľ may miss text stored as L plus a combining mark, because the byte sequences differ. Unicode normalization fixes this by converting between the two forms — NFC composes them into single code points, NFD splits them apart.
When something behaves oddly, run the text through NFC normalization so identical-looking letters are stored the same way. Most databases and programming languages have a normalize function for exactly this.
Troubleshooting L with accent
- The letter shows as a box (□) or question mark: the font lacks the glyph. Switch to a broad font such as Arial, Segoe UI, Times New Roman, or Noto Sans, all of which include these L forms.
- Alt code does nothing: that is expected, there is no Alt code for any of these letters. Use Word’s Alt+X, Character Map, or paste.
- You got ľ but wanted ĺ: you used the caron code point instead of the acute. Check the code point against the table; U+013A is the acute, U+013E is the caron.
- Alt+X changes the wrong characters: select only the four hex digits before pressing Alt+X, so Word does not grab a neighbouring character.
- The mark disappears in a filename or URL: the system may have stripped or split a combining mark. Normalize to NFC, or use the precomposed character from the copy widget.
- Wrong keyboard layout: Unicode Hex Input on Mac and Ctrl+Shift+U on ChromeOS only work while that input mode is active. Check which layout is selected if the shortcut inserts nothing.
Where these letters appear
You will meet accented L most often in names, place names, and quoted text that needs to keep its original spelling. Getting the exact character right keeps a name searchable and correct rather than approximated with a plain L.
Related letters people mix up
- Typing I with accents, the vowel forms are the ones the standard Mac dead keys actually produce, unlike L.
- N with accent, shares the caron and acute marks, so the same Alt+X and paste methods apply.
- K with accent, another consonant with cedilla and caron variants and no Alt code.
- M with an accent mark, useful when a caron or acute needs to sit on a different consonant.
- J with an accent mark — same no-Alt-code situation, same Character Map fallback.
For the full set of marks and methods across the alphabet, see our complete guide to typing accented letters, or browse every letter in the accented letters collection.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an Alt code for ľ or Ľ?
No. None of the accented L letters has a standard Windows Alt code. Use Word’s Alt+X with the code point 013E (or 013D for the capital), the Character Map, or paste the glyph.
Why does holding the L key on my phone not show accented options?
The default iPhone and Android keyboards only offer accent pop-ups for a limited set of letters, and L is not among them for these marks. Paste the character from the copy buttons, or set up a text replacement to type it with a short code.
Why do ĺ and ľ look almost the same in small text?
The acute leans as a single stroke, while the caron on a tall letter renders as an upright tick beside the stem. At small sizes both can look like a mark near the top-right of the L. Zoom in or check the code point (U+013A versus U+013E) to be sure which one you have.
My accented L breaks a filename or search, why?
The text is probably stored as a plain L plus a separate combining mark rather than the single precomposed character. They look identical but differ in bytes. Normalize the text to NFC, or replace it with the precomposed glyph from this page.
Which font should I use so the letter always displays?
Arial, Segoe UI, Times New Roman, Calibri, and the Noto family all include these L characters. If you see a box or question mark, the current font lacks the glyph, not your typing.
Can I type these letters in Excel without pasting?
Yes. Use =UNICHAR(318) for ľ or =UNICHAR(314) for ĺ, using the decimal values shown in the table. Copy the cell and paste as values if you need a static character.
Does the Ctrl+Shift+U method work in every Chromebook app?
Most native and editor fields accept it, but some websites intercept the shortcut. If the underlined u never appears or nothing is inserted, use the Launcher+Shift+Space symbol picker or paste the character instead.