The letter P carries a true accent mark in only a small set of Unicode characters, and the two diacritics you will actually meet are the acute and the dot above: Ṕ/ṕ (P with acute) and Ṗ/ṗ (P with dot above). The quickest way to get any of them is to copy the exact glyph from the table below, or—if you are already in Microsoft Word, type its four-character code and press Alt+X.
None of these characters has a genuine Windows Alt+number code, so the reliable routes are copy-paste, Word’s Alt+X converter, and each app’s own symbol picker. The rest of this guide shows every method, platform by platform, and explains why two P’s that look identical can behave differently in search and file names.
Every accented P at a glance
| Glyph | Unicode name | Code point | Windows Alt code | Word (Alt+X) | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ṕ | U+1E54 | U+1E54 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 1E54 then Alt+X | Type 1E54, then Alt+X | Ṕ |
| ṕ | U+1E55 | U+1E55 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 1E55 then Alt+X | Type 1E55, then Alt+X | ṕ |
| Ṗ | U+1E56 | U+1E56 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 1E56 then Alt+X | Type 1E56, then Alt+X | Ṗ |
| ṗ | U+1E57 | U+1E57 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 1E57 then Alt+X | Type 1E57, then Alt+X | ṗ |
All four glyphs live in the Latin Extended Additional block, and their HTML numeric references are simply the decimal form of the code point (for example, U+1E54 is 7764, written Ṕ). There are no named HTML entities for these characters, so use the numeric form when hand-coding a page.
Acute vs. dot above: what the two marks mean
This set contains two distinct diacritics sitting on the same base letter. The acute is a short stroke rising to the right (Ṕ, ṕ), while the dot above is a single point centered over the letter (Ṗ, ṗ). They are separate Unicode characters, not styling of one glyph, so the code you pick determines the mark.
Each mark comes in an uppercase and a lowercase pair, and the two forms differ only by one code point: the capital always precedes its small counterpart. That is why U+1E54 (Ṕ) and U+1E55 (ṕ) are consecutive, as are U+1E56 (Ṗ) and U+1E57 (ṗ). Choose the capital code for sentence starts or headings and the small code for the middle of a word.
Type P with an accent on any platform
Because none of these glyphs has a legacy Alt+number code, the methods below rely on hex input, symbol pickers, or a copied character. Each platform is covered once; pick the row that matches where you are working.
Windows
Windows has no built-in Alt code for these characters, so do not try Alt+number combinations—they will produce the wrong glyph. The most dependable route is Character Map: open charmap.exe
, tick Advanced view, search “P with acute” or “P with dot above,” then Select and Copy. If you insert accents often, a helper like WinCompose or our on-screen accent keyboard is faster than the picker.
Mac
The standard Option-key dead keys on macOS only place accents on vowels and a few consonants, so they will not build P with a diacritic. Instead, add the Unicode Hex Input keyboard in System Settings, then hold Option and type 1E54 for Ṕ (or the matching code for the others). Alternatively, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search by name.
Microsoft Word
Word offers the cleanest keyboard method. Type the code, then immediately press Alt+X and Word swaps it for the glyph: type 1E56, press Alt+X, and you get Ṗ.
The conversion is reversible, place the cursor after the character and press Alt+X again to see its code. You can also use Insert > Symbol > More Symbols and enter the code point in the character-code box.
Excel and PowerPoint
Neither app supports the Alt+X shortcut, so use a formula or the symbol picker. In Excel, =UNICHAR(7764) returns Ṕ, and the other decimal values from the table return their glyphs; copy the result and paste it as a value where you need it. In PowerPoint, use Insert > Symbol and type the code point, or simply paste a copied character into the text box.
Google Docs and Sheets
In Google Docs, choose Insert > Special characters, then type a name such as “P acute” or draw the mark in the sketch box to find Ṕ or Ṗ. In Google Sheets there is no symbol menu, but =CHAR(7766) produces Ṗ from its decimal value; copy the cell and Paste special > Values only to keep the character without the formula.
iPhone and Android
The default mobile keyboards do not offer a long-press accent menu for P, unlike vowels, so there is no native shortcut. The practical fix is to copy the glyph from a note or web page and paste it where you need it. If you type these characters regularly, save Ṕ ṕ Ṗ ṗ as a text-replacement shortcut in your keyboard settings so a short trigger expands into the full character.
Chromebook
ChromeOS has a built-in Unicode shortcut: hold Ctrl+Shift, press U, release, then type the hex code such as 1e54 and press Enter or Space. This inserts the character directly into most text fields. If a particular field ignores the shortcut, fall back to pasting a copied glyph.
Notion, Slack, Discord, and Canva
None of these apps includes a dedicated accent picker, so the universal method is to copy the glyph from the reference table and paste it in. In Notion, Slack, and Discord the pasted character keeps its meaning in messages, page titles, and code blocks alike. In Canva, paste into a text box and confirm the font actually contains the glyph—switch to a broad-coverage font if you see an empty box.
Precomposed characters vs. combining marks
Each glyph in the table is a precomposed character: one code point that already includes the base letter and its mark, such as U+1E54 for Ṕ. There is a second way to build the same look, type a plain P (U+0050) followed by a combining acute (U+0301) or combining dot above (U+0307). The screen result can be pixel-for-pixel identical.
The difference matters the moment software compares the underlying bytes. A precomposed Ṕ is one code point, while the combined version is two, so a search for one may not match the other, and a file name saved in one form can fail to open a link written in the other. Web forms, spreadsheet lookups, and copy/paste between apps are the usual places this bites.
The cure is normalization. Converting text to NFC (composed) form collapses the two-code-point version back into the single precomposed character, which keeps matching predictable. When in doubt, prefer the precomposed code points from the table so your text stays in one consistent form.
Troubleshooting P-with-accent problems
Empty box or “tofu” glyph. A rectangle or question mark means the current font lacks the character, not that your code was wrong. Switch to a font with wide Latin coverage such as Times New Roman, Arial, Charis SIL, or Gentium and the mark will appear.
Wrong mark appears. If you get a dot when you wanted an acute (or vice versa), you used the neighboring code point. Re-check the table: acute is U+1E54/U+1E55 and dot above is U+1E56/U+1E57.
Alt codes do nothing. These characters genuinely have no Windows Alt+number code, so typing digits on the numeric keypad will fail or insert an unrelated symbol. Use Word’s Alt+X, the Chromebook Unicode shortcut, or copy-paste instead.
Keyboard layout gets in the way. Word’s Alt+X and macOS Unicode Hex Input both depend on the active layout; if a code does not convert, confirm you are on the intended keyboard and that Num Lock or hex-input mode is set correctly. As a last resort, paste the finished glyph so no layout is involved.
Search or filename mismatches. If a term with Ṗ refuses to match, you are probably comparing a precomposed character against a combining sequence. Normalize both sides to NFC, then search again.
Quick examples to copy or type
- Need the lowercase acute for a transliteration note? In Word, type
1E55and press Alt+X to get ṕ. - Building a data label in Sheets?
=CHAR(7766)returns Ṗ, which you can paste as a value. - Writing in Notion or Discord? Copy Ṕ ṕ Ṗ ṗ straight from the table above and paste, no picker required.
- On a Chromebook, Ctrl+Shift+U then
1e57and Space inserts ṗ inline.
Related guides
If you regularly type marks on other letters, our complete guide to typing accented letters collects every method in one place, and you can browse more accented-letter guides by letter. Readers working with P often need its neighbors too: see typing O with accents, every way to type Q with an accent, typing R with accents, and everyway to type N with an accent. For the tilde-and-dot cousin, our guide to typing M with an accent mark covers the same tricks on a different letter.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Windows Alt code for Ṕ or Ṗ?
No. None of the four accented P characters has a legacy Alt+number code, so keypad entry will not produce them. Use Word’s Alt+X converter, the Chromebook Ctrl+Shift+U shortcut, macOS Unicode Hex Input, or a copied glyph instead.
Why does my P with a dot look the same as one built from two keystrokes?
You are seeing a precomposed character (one code point) next to a base P plus a combining dot (two code points). They render identically but store differently, which is why a search or file match can fail. Normalize the text to NFC to make both forms line up.
How do I type accented P in Google Sheets when there is no Symbol menu?
Use the CHAR function with the decimal value from the table: =CHAR(7764) returns Ṕ, =CHAR(7765) returns ṕ, and so on. Copy the cell, then Paste special > Values only to keep the character without the formula.
My phone will not long-press P for accents. What now?
Mobile keyboards only offer long-press accent menus for vowels and a few consonants, and P is not included. Copy the glyph you need and paste it, or save Ṕ ṕ Ṗ ṗ as a text-replacement shortcut so a short trigger expands to the full character.
Which font should I use if the accented P shows as an empty box?
The box means the current font lacks the glyph. Switch to a font with broad Latin coverage. Times New Roman, Arial, Charis SIL, or Gentium all include these characters and will display the mark correctly.
Does the HTML need a named entity like &pacute;?
No named entity exists for these characters. Use the numeric reference from the table, such as Ṗ for Ṗ, and any modern browser will render it. Setting your page to UTF-8 also lets you paste the glyph directly into the markup.
Can I convert an accented P back to its code to check it?
In Word, place your cursor right after the character and press Alt+X; it toggles the glyph back to its hex code so you can confirm you have U+1E54 through U+1E57 rather than a look-alike. Press Alt+X again to restore the character.