HTML Entity for Combining Diaeresis (̈)
What You'll Learn
How to display the combining diaeresis in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS entity methods. This mark is U+0308 (COMBINING DIAERESIS) in the Combining Diacritical Marks block (U+0300–U+036F). It sits above a base letter to form characters such as ü (u + diaeresis), ö, and ä—often called umlaut in German or diaeresis in French and Spanish.
There is no named HTML entity for U+0308 alone. Use ̈, ̈, or \0308 in CSS content. For common precomposed letters, prefer ü, ö, or ä. Do not confuse with the standalone spacing character U+00A8 (¨).
⚡ Quick Reference — Combining Diaeresis
U+0308Combining Diacritical Marks (U+0300–U+036F)
̈Hexadecimal reference
̈Decimal reference
—None for U+0308 (use ü for ü)
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+0308
Hex code ̈
HTML code ̈
Named entity —
CSS code \0308
Precomposed ü (U+00FC), ö, äComplete HTML Example
This example demonstrates the combining diaeresis using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape, plus building ü from u + combining mark:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point:after{
content: "\0308";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Combining diaeresis (decimal): ̈</p>
<p id="point">Combining diaeresis via CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
U+0308 and combining sequences are supported in all modern browsers with UTF-8 and fonts that include Combining Diacritical Marks:
👀 Live Preview
See the combining diaeresis and umlaut letters in context:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
̈ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 0308 for the combining diaeresis. Place it immediately after the base letter (e.g. ü).
Decimal HTML Code
̈ uses the decimal Unicode value 776 to display the same combining mark.
CSS Entity
\0308 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of ::before or ::after.
Combines with base letters
The mark stacks on the preceding character: ü renders as ü. Unicode U+0308. No named entity for the combining mark alone; use ü for precomposed ü.
Use Cases
The combining diaeresis (U+0308) is commonly used in:
ä, ö, ü in words like München, über, schön.
ë, ï, ü (Noël, naïf) where vowels are pronounced separately.
ü in pingüino, vergüenza to mark pronounced u.
Internationalized sites, language learning apps, and mixed-language content.
Dictionaries, academic papers, and typography docs on diacritical marks.
HTML entity guides and Unicode tables for combining marks.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Prefer
ü,ö,äfor common German letters - Use UTF-8 and fonts with Combining Diacritical Marks coverage
- Place
̈immediately after the base letter - Use
\0308only inside CSScontent - Keep one encoding style consistent per document
Don’t
- Confuse U+0308 (combining) with U+00A8 (standalone ¨)
- Assume a named entity exists for U+0308 alone
- Use images instead of UTF-8 or entities for umlaut letters
- Put CSS escape
\0308in HTML text nodes - Mix combining and precomposed forms randomly in one word
Key Takeaways
Combining mark U+0308—no named entity
̈ ̈For CSS, use \0308 in the content property
\0308Precomposed: ü ü, ö ö, ä ä
Umlaut (German) and diaeresis (French/Spanish) share U+0308
UTF-8 + combining sequences—widely supported in modern browsers
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
̈ (hex), ̈ (decimal), or \0308 in CSS content after a base letter. For precomposed ü, use ü or ü. No named entity exists for U+0308 alone.U+0308 (COMBINING DIAERESIS). Combining Diacritical Marks block (U+0300–U+036F). Hex 0308, decimal 776. Standalone spacing diaeresis is U+00A8.̈ or ̈) go in markup immediately after the base character. The CSS escape \0308 is used in stylesheets, typically in the content property of pseudo-elements.Explore More HTML Entities!
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