Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 8, 2017)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016
Felipe asked if there is a way to place the ^ sign on top of different letters. Felipe writes about mathematics, and such compound characters are very necessary for the type of writing he does.
Some compound characters are already available within Word. These depend on the typefaces you use in your document; you can easily insert special compound characters by using the Symbol dialog box. Select the character you want, and then click on Insert.
If there is not a ready-made compound character, you can use Word's special fields to synthesize your own. For instance, if you want to place the ^ symbol over the top of the letter N, then you can follow these steps:
If you want to change the characters that make up the compound character, change the N in step 3 and use a different character in step 5.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12076) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Creating Compound Characters.
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2017-04-09 13:52:14
Ted Duke
Someone without a numeric keyboard asked what to do. The characters/numbers on a numeric keypad are equivalent to any numbers on a keyboard or smart phone. The keyboard's key pad is mostly a convenience for accountants and others who prefer to use it.
2017-04-08 16:34:34
Edward Decker
What if I don't have a numeric keypad? How do I (can I?) enter the ASCII code?
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