Trying to give a German address or render a name properly? Find out here how to type the German Eszett character ß (which looks a bit like a ‘B’) using the iPhone keyboard.
First, a Tale of Two Visits
“Who do you want to visit?” is one sentence I’d like you to consider.
Most people much of the time would probably shorten this already simple question a bit to “Who do you wanna visit?”
Now ponder “Who do you want to visit us?”
Would you instinctively want to shorten this sentence, too? Probably not. “Who” has turned from object to subject by something much later in the sentence—at the very end in fact.
This can serve as an example for how Noam Chomsky’s idea of deep structure might show up in everyday language. The corresponding sentences in deep structure could be You want to visit who? and You want who to visit us? respectively. The “who” in the latter sentence moves to the front, but it leaves an empty space in the deep structure. The consequence is that “want” and ”to” do not wanna merge in that case.
Now, if you want to visit somebody in Wuppertal, Chur or Salzburg, chances are you’ll have to deal with a street—a Straße. Let’s see how to write this:
How to Type Eszett ‘ß’ (“German B”) on an iPhone
Using any Standard QWERTY, QWERTZ or AZERTY Keyboard
Time needed: 1 minute
To type the Eszett or “German B” character (‘ß’) on any standard iPhone keyboard layout using iOS:
- Position the text cursor where you want to enter the German double-S character.
Here’s how: You can move the cursor to an arbitrary position by tapping and holding the Space bar, then moving.
- Tap and hold the S key.
No caps. Note that there has historically been no capital version of the character ß, so you cannot currently access it with the Shift key enabled (which will happen automatically at the beginning of a sentence in many languages, for example).
- Highlight the character ß in the menu that pops up.
Here’s how: It’s enough to move the finger to the right or left.
- Release to insert the German B (‘ß’).
Also using Word? How to Insert a German Double S in Word
Using a German Keyboard to Insert ‘ß’
To insert a scharfes s using a German keyboard layout on iPhone:
- Follow the steps above for standard QWERTY and QWERTZ keyboard layouts.
No special key: While umlauts get their own key on certain German iPhone keyboard layouts, the Eszett does not.
Uppercase: The German keyboard layout does include an uppercase Eszett (‘ẞ’), however; to access it, press Shift before you tap and hold S. - Use a single S and let iPhone auto-correction take care of it.
No double-s: It’s better not to use ss or sz in place of ß, because these are acceptable substitutes and may not be corrected.
How to Type ‘ß’ (“German B”) on an iPhone: FAQ
What should I use when typing in all caps?
When you are typing all capital letters, it is best to
- substitute
SZfor the capitalized Eszett or
Example: „FROH UEBER ALLE MASZEN“ (“OVERJOYED”) - use
SSwhere there are no possible ambiguities if you prefer.
Example: „HAUPTSTRASSE 15“ (“15 MAIN STREET”)
For the uppercase ẞ, see right below.
Is there an uppercase version of ‘ß’?
Yes. German now includes an uppercase version of the sharp s character Eszett.
The uppercase Eszett is a slightly bulkier version of the classic character, but it still feels erratic and out of place in all caps for most fonts.
While you cannot access the uppercase sharp s with the standard iPhone keyboard, you can use a German keyboard layout (see above) or copy it here for pasting in documents where necessary:
lower case Eszett ß | |
upper case Eszett ẞ |
(How to type ß (German B) on the iPhone keyboard tested with iOS 16–17; updated March 2024)