Layout comparison
Spanish vs Latin American Keyboard Layouts: Ñ, Symbols and Setup
Both have Ñ, but their accents and symbols move. Compare the diagrams and find the layout your keyboard is using.
On this page
Spanish (Spain) and Spanish (Latin America) both use QWERTY letters and a dedicated Ñ key. The useful differences are around the accents, brackets and number row. Seeing Ñ alone does not tell you which layout is active.
The diagrams and shortcuts here use the standard Windows Spanish and Latin American mappings. “Latin American” is the input-layout name, not a description of every keyboard sold in the region. Apple and custom input sources can differ.[1]
Not sure which one you have? Check your active keyboard layout using physical key positions and a few symbols.
Spanish vs Latin American: the main differences
| Character or position | Spanish (Spain) | Spanish (Latin America) |
|---|---|---|
| Ñ | Immediately right of L | Immediately right of L |
| @ | AltGr + 2 | AltGr + Q |
| Shift + 3 | Middle dot (·) | Number sign (#) |
| Last character key before Backspace | ¡; Shift produces ¿ | ¿; Shift produces ¡ |
| Acute accent (´) | Key immediately right of Ñ | First key right of P |
| Key immediately right of Ñ | Acute accent / diaeresis | {; Shift produces [ |
| Ç | Dedicated key beside Enter | No dedicated Ç key in the base layer |
AltGr means the right Alt key. The left Alt key is not a universal substitute. If @ appears in an unexpected place, compare the active input source with your keycaps before changing the system language or replacing the keyboard.
Spanish and Latin American keyboard diagrams
Spanish (Spain)
Spanish (Latin America)
The diagrams include the extra character key beside the left Shift found on typical ISO keyboards. Enter and modifier shapes are omitted. Accent symbols show their positions; a dead accent key waits for the next letter instead of immediately printing the accent.
Both layouts put Ñ after L. Compare the acute-accent position and the inverted punctuation near Backspace: those differences are more useful for identification than typing the word “qwerty.”
How to type ñ, á, ü, ¿ and ¡
- ñ / Ñ: press the Ñ key; hold Shift for uppercase.
- á, é, í, ó, ú: press and release the acute-accent key, then the vowel. Spain puts this key beside Ñ; Latin America puts it beside P.
- ü: hold Shift while pressing that accent key to select the diaeresis (¨), release both, then press U.
- ¿ / ¡: use the final character key before Backspace. The unshifted and Shift characters are reversed between these two layouts.
- A standalone accent: press the accent, then Space.
For an uppercase accented vowel, enter the accent first and then hold Shift with the vowel. These sequences apply to the mappings above; an input method, remapping utility or a different operating-system variant may behave differently.
Choose Spanish or Latin American input
On Windows 11, open Settings → Time & language → Language & region. Open the relevant language’s Language options, then choose Add a keyboard and select Spanish or Latin American. Press Windows + Space to switch. The language of your menus can stay the same.[2]
On macOS, use System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit. Add the intended Spanish input source, then inspect it in Keyboard Viewer. In particular, Spanish – ISO and Latin American sources should not be treated as interchangeable.[3]
On GNOME Linux, open Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources, add the appropriate Spanish or Latin American source, and inspect the layout preview. Distribution and variant names differ.[4]
Keep your existing input source available until you have tested Ñ, an accented vowel and @ in a blank document. If symbols still disagree, follow the wrong-character checklist.
Which should you use?
Choose the layout that matches your keycaps and the computers you regularly use. Both handle ordinary Spanish writing; neither is inherently faster. If you have a US keyboard and want to keep its printed positions, US International is another way to type Spanish accents, with a different dead-key workflow.
The detector checks what reaches your browser. It cannot infer your country, read printed legends or identify a keyboard brand.