How to type n with tilde on iPhone
To type n with tilde on iPhone, touch and hold the N key on the standard on-screen keyboard until a pop-up menu of accented letters appears, then slide your finger across to ñ. For capital Ñ, tap the Shift key first and hold down N.
Quick answer
Touch and hold N → slide your finger to ñ and release. For capital Ñ, tap Shift first.
Step by step
Touch and hold the N key
Rest your finger on the letter N on your virtual keyboard for about half a second.
View the accent bubble
A small menu bubble pops up directly above the N key showing accented characters like ñ and ń.
Slide over to ñ
Without lifting your finger from the display, drag your finger onto the ñ character.
Release your finger
Lift your touch once ñ is highlighted. The character will be inserted into your text.
The iOS press-and-hold accent gesture
The standard English keyboard on iOS conceals diacritics behind their base Latin letters to save visual space. When you press and hold the letter n on your iPhone or iPad, a small horizontal menu displays accented variants including ñ (n with tilde) and ń (n with acute). The letter ñ is almost always the first option next to n, making the gesture swift and fluid once learned. Learn all other hidden key shortcuts in our iPhone symbols guide.
Adding a dedicated Spanish keyboard
If you text in Spanish frequently, having to long-press the N key repeatedly can slow down your typing speed. iOS lets you install a full Spanish keyboard layout where ñ has its own permanent key located to the right of the letter L. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard and choose Spanish. Once added, you can switch between your English and Spanish keyboards instantly by tapping the globe icon in the bottom-left corner of the keyboard.
Setting up a text replacement shortcut
If you want to keep your English keyboard layout but type names like Peña, niño, or año quickly, use iOS Text Replacement. Copy the ñ symbol from the top of this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. Tap the plus (+) button, paste ñ into the Phrase field, and assign a shortcut code like nn. Whenever you type nn followed by a space, iOS automatically turns it into ñ, synchronizing across all your devices via iCloud.
iPad and Android comparisons
On iPadOS, you can use the same long-press gesture on the virtual keyboard, or swipe down if Key Flicks is enabled. If you use a physical Magic Keyboard paired with your iPad, use the Mac shortcut Option + N followed by N. If you also use Android smartphones, check our guide on typing n with tilde on Android. Learn more about the history and Unicode specifications on our n with tilde symbol page, and discover other accented letters in our n with accent collection.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type ñ on an iPhone keyboard?
Touch and hold the N key until the accent menu appears, then slide your finger over to ñ and release.
How do I type capital Ñ on iPhone?
Tap the Shift key (up arrow) once to capitalize the keyboard, then touch and hold the N key and slide to Ñ.
Can I get a dedicated ñ key on my iPhone?
Yes. Add a Spanish keyboard in Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards. The Spanish layout places ñ directly to the right of L.