Upside Down Question Mark (¿)
Copy ¿ and ¡ in one click, with the Alt codes and shortcuts to type them.
How to type these symbols
| Symbol | Name | Windows (Alt code) | Mac | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¿ | Inverted question mark | Alt+0191 or Alt+168 | Option+Shift+/ | ¿ |
| ¡ | Inverted exclamation mark | Alt+0161 or Alt+173 | Option+1 | ¡ |
| ‽ | Interrobang | - | - | ‽ |
Windows Alt codes need the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. No keypad? Copying from this page is faster anyway.
Copy the upside down question mark
Click the ¿ above and it lands on your clipboard, ready to paste into a Spanish sentence, a message, a form, or a document. It is a single Unicode character (U+00BF), so it travels cleanly into any app on any device. The inverted exclamation mark ¡ is right next to it.
How to type ¿ on Windows
Hold Alt and type 0191 on the numeric keypad, or use the shorter Alt+168, then release Alt. Both need the number pad with Num Lock on, so a laptop without a keypad will not cooperate. If you write Spanish often, switch your layout to US-International: after that, right Alt (AltGr) plus / gives you ¿ directly.
How to type ¿ and ¡ on a Mac
The inverted question mark is Option+Shift+/ and the inverted exclamation mark is Option+1. No number pad required, and both shortcuts work in any text field once you know them.
On iPhone and Android
You do not need a special keyboard. On the default iOS keyboard and on Gboard, press and hold the ? key and the ¿ appears in the little popup; do the same on the ! key to get ¡. Slide onto the character you want and let go.
Why Spanish flips its punctuation
Spanish opens a question or an exclamation with the inverted mark and closes it with the regular one, so the reader knows the intonation from the very first word rather than the last. The Real Academia Española recommended the inverted question mark in 1754, and it became standard soon after. Galician and Asturian follow the same convention.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Alt code for the upside down question mark ¿?
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0191 on the numeric keypad, or use the shorter Alt+168, then release Alt. Num Lock has to be on. The inverted exclamation mark ¡ is Alt+0161 or Alt+173.
How do I type ¿ on a Mac?
Press Option+Shift+/ for the inverted question mark ¿, and Option+1 for the inverted exclamation mark ¡. No number pad needed.
How do I get ¿ on my phone?
Press and hold the ? key on the default iOS keyboard or on Gboard and the ¿ appears in the popup. Long-press the ! key the same way to get ¡.
When does Spanish use ¿ and ¡?
Spanish opens every question with ¿ and closes it with ?, and opens every exclamation with ¡ and closes it with !. Even a question that starts partway through a sentence gets the inverted mark at the point the question begins.
Can I skip the inverted marks when texting in Spanish?
In casual chat many people drop the opening ¿ and ¡ and just use the closing marks. Formal and published writing keeps both, and the opening mark is what tells the reader a question or exclamation is coming.