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{{Short description|Latin letter A with overring}}
{{redirect|A-ring|the ring of Saturn|A Ring}}
{{other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2022}}

{{Infobox grapheme
|image=Latin letter A with ring above.svg
|imageclass=skin-invert-image
|letter=Å å
|name=A with Overring
|fam1=[[aa (digraph)|AA aa]]
|fam2=[[ao (digraph)|AO ao]]
|script=[[Latin script]]
|language=[[Swedish language|Swedish]]
|phonemes={{flex list|[{{IPAlink|aː}}]|[{{IPAlink|ɔː}}]|[{{IPAlink|oː}}]|[{{IPAlink|æ}}]|[{{IPAlink|ø}}]}}
|variations=Ǻ ǻ
|unicode=U+00C5, U+00E5, U+212B
}}

The letter '''Å''' ('''å''' in lower case) represents various (although often similar) [[phoneme|sound]]s in several languages. It is a separate letter in [[Danish alphabet|Danish]], [[Swedish alphabet|Swedish]], [[Norwegian alphabet|Norwegian]], [[Finnish alphabet|Finnish]], [[North Frisian language|North Frisian]], [[Low German|Low Saxon]], [[Transylvanian Saxon dialect|Transylvanian Saxon]], [[Walloon orthography|Walloon]], [[Rotuman]], [[Chamorro alphabet|Chamorro]], [[Lule Sami]], [[Pite Sami]], [[Skolt Sami language|Skolt Sami]], [[Southern Sami]], [[Ume Sami]], Pamirian languages, and [[Greenlandic alphabet|Greenlandic]] alphabets. Additionally, it is part of the [[alphabet]]s used for some [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] and [[Austro-Bavarian]] [[German dialects|dialects]] of [[German alphabet|German]].<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLiLfnPar3s |title=The Sound of the Austro-Bavarian language- Salzburg dialect (Numbers, Greetings & Story) |language=en |access-date=2024-04-01 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>

Though Å is derived from [[A]] by adding an [[ring (diacritic)|overring]], it is typically considered a separate [[Letter (alphabet)|letter]]. It developed as a form of semi-[[Ligature (typography)|ligature]] of an ''A'' with a smaller ''o'' above it to denote a rounding of the long /a/ in [[Old Danish]].<ref name=sandersen2002>{{cite journal |last1=Sandersen |first1=Vibeke |title=Om bogstavet å |journal=Ny fra Sprognævnet |date=2002 |volume=September |url=https://dsn.dk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/september-2002-pdf.pdf |access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref>

== Scandinavian languages ==
{{vr|Å}} is part of the [[Danish and Norwegian alphabet]] and the [[Swedish alphabet]]. In Danish, {{vr|å}} may represent the phonemes {{IPA|/ɔ/}} or {{IPA|/ɒ/}},<ref>{{cite book |last1=Basbøll |first1=Hans |title=The Phonology of Danish |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780198242680}}</ref>{{Rp|100}} while it may represent {{IPA|[o]}} and {{IPA|[ɔ]}} in Norwegian<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kristoffersen |first1=Gjert |title=The Phonology of Norwegian |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780199229321}}</ref>{{Rp|343-345}} and Swedish.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

===History===
Historically, [[Old Norse]] had a long vowel {{IPA|/aː/}} (sometimes spelled {{vr|[[á]]}}).{{cn|date=January 2025}} Medieval writing often used [[doubled letter]]s for long vowels, writing the vowel as {{vr|aa}}. From around 1200, the vowel underwent rounding towards {{IPAblink|ɔː}} to such a degree that it started to show up in the written language by using {{vr|o}}. In manuscripts from 1300 to 1400, a word like ''blaa'' ('blue', modern spelling {{vr|blå}}) could also be spelled {{vr|blao}} or {{vr|blo(o)}}, sometimes with an added line.<ref name=sandersen2002/>

In [[Old Swedish]] the use of the ligature [[Æ]] and of [[Ø]] (originally also a variant of the ligature Œ) that represented the sounds {{IPA|[æ]}} and {{IPA|[ø]}} respectively were gradually replaced by new letters. Instead of using ligatures, a [[minuscule]] (that is, lower-case) [[E]] was placed above the letters [[A]] and [[O]] to create new [[grapheme]]s, which later evolved into the modern letters [[Ä]] and [[Ö]], as the [[E]] was simplified into the two dots now referred to as an [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]]. Similarly, a minuscule O was placed on top of an A to create a new letter which was used in place of the digraph [[Aa (digraph)|Aa]]. It was first used in [[Publishing|print]] in the [[Gustav Vasa Bible]] published in 1541 and replaced [[Aa (digraph)|Aa]] in the 16th century.<ref>Pettersson (1996), p. 139</ref>

In an attempt to modernize the orthography, linguists tried to introduce the Å to Danish and Norwegian writing in the 19th century. Most people felt no need for the new letter, as the letter group ''Aa'' had already been pronounced like Å for centuries in Denmark and Norway. Aa was usually treated as a single letter, spoken like the present Å when spelling out names or words. Orthography reforms making Å official were carried out in [[Norway]] in 1917 and in [[Denmark]] in 1948. According to Jørgen Nørby Jensen, senior consultant at [[Dansk Sprognævn]], the cause for the change in Denmark was a combination of anti-German and pro-Nordic sentiment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nyheder.tv2.dk/samfund/2018-03-22-70-aar-uden-dobbelt-a-bolle-aa-fylder-rundt|title=70 år uden dobbelt-a – bolle-å fylder rundt|date=22 March 2018|access-date=14 April 2021|work=[[tv2.dk]]|author=Karen Munk Ebbesen}}</ref> Danish had been the only language apart from German and [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]] to use [[Capitalization#Nouns|capitalized nouns]] in the last decades, but abolished them at the same time.

In a few names of Danish cities or towns, the old spelling has been retained as an option due to local resistance, e.g. [[Aalborg]] and [[Aabenraa]]; however, Ålborg and Åbenrå are the spellings recommended by the [[Dansk Sprognævn|Danish Language Board]].<ref>[http://sproget.dk/raad-og-regler/retskrivningsregler_mv/retskrivningsregler/a7-1-6/a7-3-a-og-dobbelt-a Orthography rules, §3.2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513222810/http://sproget.dk/raad-og-regler/retskrivningsregler_mv/retskrivningsregler/a7-1-6/a7-3-a-og-dobbelt-a |date=2010-05-13 }}, sproget.dk (in Danish)</ref> Between 1948 and 2010, the city of [[Aarhus]] was officially spelled ''Århus''. However, the city has reverted to the ''Aa'' spelling starting 2011, in a controversial decision citing internationalization and [[World Wide Web|web]] compatibility advantages.

[[Icelandic orthography|Icelandic]] and [[Faroese alphabet|Faroese]] are the only North Germanic languages not to use the ''å''. The Old Norse letter ''á'' is retained, but the sound it now expresses is a diphthong, pronounced {{IPA|[au]}} in Icelandic and {{IPA|[ɔa]}} in Faroese. The short variation of Faroese á is pronounced {{IPAblink|ɔ}}, though.

===Use in names===
In some place names, the old ''Aa'' spelling dominates, more often in Denmark than in Norway (where it has been abolished in official use since 1917). Locals of ''{{lang|da|Aalborg}}'' and ''{{lang|da|Aabenraa}}'' resist the Å, whereas ''{{lang|no|Ålesund}}'' is rarely seen with Aa spelling. Official rules allow both forms in the most common cases, but Å is always correct. Å as a word means "small river" in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian and can be found in place names.

Before 1917, when spelling with the double A was common, some Norwegian place names contained three or four consecutive A letters: for instance ''{{lang|no|Haaa}}'' (now ''{{lang|no|Håa}}'', a river) and ''{{lang|no|Blaaaasen}}'' (''Blååsen'', 'the blue ("blå") ridge ("ås")').

In family names, the bearer of the name uses Aa or Å according to their choice, but since family names are inherited they are resistant to change and the traditional Aa style is often kept. For instance, the last name ''[[Aagaard]]'' is much more common than ''[[Ågård]]''. The surname Aa is always spelled with double A, never with the single ''å''. However, given names - which are less commonly inherited - have largely changed to the use of the Å. For instance, in Norway more than 12,000 male citizens spell their name ''Håkon'', while only around 2,500 are named ''[[Haakon (given name)|Haakon]]''.

Company names are sometimes spelled with the double A by choice, usually in order to convey an impression of old-fashionedness or traditionality. The double A, representing a single sound, is usually kept in initials e.g. for people whose first, middle, and/or last name begins with the double A. Accordingly, a man named "Hans Aagard Hauge" would spell his initials "H. Aa. H." (not "H. A. H." nor "H. Å. H."), while a woman named Aase Vestergaard would spell her initials "Aa. V." (not "A. V." nor "Å. V.").

===Alphabetization===

==== Danish and Norwegian ====
Correct [[Alphabetical order|alphabetization]] in [[Danish Alphabet|Danish]] and [[Norwegian alphabet|Norwegian]] places Å as the last letter in the [[Danish and Norwegian alphabet|alphabet]], the sequence being [[Æ]], [[Ø]], Å. This is also true for the alternative spelling "Aa". Unless manually corrected, sorting algorithms of programs localized for Danish or Norwegian place ''e.g.,'' ''Aaron'' after ''Zorro''.

In Danish the correct sorting of aa depends on pronunciation: If the sound is pronounced as one sound it is sorted as Å regardless of the sound is 'a' or 'å'; thus, for example, the German city ''[[Aachen]]'' is listed under ''Å,'' as well as the Danish city ''[[Aabenraa]]''. This is §3 in the Danish ''Retskrivningsreglerne''.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=§ 3. Å og dobbelt-a|title=Retskrivningsordbogen|trans-title=Spelling Dictionary|publisher=[[Dansk Sprognævn]]|lang=da|edition=4th|year=2012|url=https://dsn.dk/ordboeger/retskrivningsordbogen/%c2%a7-1-6-bogstaver-og-tegn/%c2%a7-3-aa-og-dobbelt-a/|access-date=2024-08-18}}</ref>

==== Swedish ====
In the [[Swedish alphabet|Swedish]] and [[Finnish alphabet|Finnish]] alphabets, Å is [[collation|sorted]] after [[Z]], as the third letter from the end, the sequence being Å, [[Ä]], [[Ö]]. A combined Nordic sorting mnemonic is Æ, Ø, Å, Ä, Ö.

===International transcription===
Alternative spellings of the Scandinavian Å have become a concern because of globalization, and particularly because of the popularization of the [[World Wide Web]]. This is to a large extent due to the fact that prior to the creation of [[Internationalized domain name|IDNA]] system around 2005, internet domains containing Scandinavian letters were not recognized by the [[DNS]], and anyway do not feature on keyboards adapted for other languages. While it is recommended to keep the Å intact wherever possible, the next best thing is to use the older, double A spelling (e.g. "www.raade.com" instead of "www.råde.com"). This is because, as previously discussed, the Å/Aa indicates a separate sound. If the Å is represented as a common A without the overring (e.g. "www.rade.com") there is no indication that the A is supposed to represent another sound entirely. Even so, representing the Å as just an A is particularly common in Sweden, as compared to Norway and Denmark, because the spelling Aa has no traditional use there.

== Finnish ==
[[Image:Pois pakkoruotsi.svg|thumb|The fact that Å is a common letter in Swedish while having no native use in Finnish has led to it being used as a concise symbol for the Swedish language in Finland, as in this campaign to rid Finnish schools of [[Mandatory Swedish]]. The phrase reads "Away with enforced Swedish".]]

Because the [[Finnish alphabet]] is derived from the Swedish alphabet, Å is carried over, but it has no native Finnish use and is treated as in Swedish. Its usage is limited to loanwords (the Finnish academic dictionary ''Kielitoimiston sanakirja'', about 100,000 words, has only one word containing Å: ''[[ångström]]'') and names of Swedish, Danish or Norwegian origin. In Finland there are many Swedish-speaking as well as many Finnish-speaking people with Swedish surnames, and many Swedish surnames include Å. In addition, there are many geographical places in the Finnish coastal areas and archipelago that have å in their Swedish names, such as [[Kråkö]] and [[Långnäs]], as well as the Finnish autonomous region of [[Åland]], a group of islands midst between Sweden and Finland where almost all natives speak Swedish. The Finnish name for Å is {{lang|fi|ruotsalainen oo}} ("Swedish O"), and is pronounced identically to ''O'', which has the value {{IPA|[o̞]}}. (Note that in Swedish, the sounds {{IPA|[oː]}} and {{IPA|[ɔ]}} may be represented by ''Å'' or ''O'', but ''O'' also represents {{IPA|[uː]}} and {{IPA|[ʊ]}}.)

The substitution ''aa'' for ''å'' is not allowed in Finnish, because ''aa'' is already a common letter combination with the value {{IPA|[ɑː]}}.

==Emilian==
In [[Emilian dialect|Emilian]], å is used to represent the [[open-mid back unrounded vowel]] {{IPA|[ʌ]}}, like the [[Received Pronunciation|RP]] pronunciation of {{angbr|u}} in "'''u'''p", e.g. Modenese dialect {{lang|egl|åmm}}, {{lang|egl|dånna}}
{{IPA|[ˈʌmː]}}, {{IPA|[ˈdʌnːa]}} "man, woman";

e.g. Bolognese dialect {{lang|egl|Bulåggna}}, {{lang|egl|dåpp}}
{{IPA|[buˈlʌɲːa]}} {{IPA|[ˈdʌpː]}} "[[Bologna]], later".

== Walloon ==
The letter å was introduced to some eastern local variants of [[Walloon language|Walloon]] at the beginning of the 16th century and initially noted the same sound as in Danish. Its use then spread to all eastern dialects, under the cultural influence of [[Liege]], and covered three sounds, a long open ''o'', a long closed ''o'', or a long ''a'', depending on the local varieties. The use of a single ''å'' letter to cover such pronunciations has been embraced by the more recent [[Walloon orthography#Common Walloon|pan-Walloon orthography]] ({{lang|wa|rifondou}} or Common Walloon), with one orthography for words regardless of the local phonetic variations. 

In non-standardized writings outside the Liege area, words containing ''å'' are written with ''au'' / ''ô'' (representing the same sound) or ''â''. For example, the word {{lang|wa|måjhon}} (house) in the standardized orthography is spelled {{lang|wa|môjo(n)}}, {{lang|wa|mâhon}}, {{lang|wa|maujon}} in dialectal writings ({{lang|wa|mohone}} is another form that does not contain a long å).

== Istro-Romanian ==
The [[Istro-Romanian language|Istro-Romanian]] alphabet is based on the standard [[Romanian alphabet]] with three additional letters used to mark sounds specific only to this language: å, ľ and ń.

==Javanese==
[[Javanese orthography|Javanese]] uses å to indicate [[open-mid back rounded vowel]] {{angbr IPA|ɔ}} together with ó (o acute).

== Chamorro ==
Å and ''å'' are also used in the practical orthography of [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]], a language indigenous to the people of [[Northern Mariana Islands]] and [[Guam]]. Unmarked ''a'' represents the [[Open front unrounded vowel|low front unrounded vowel]], while ''å'' represents the [[Open back rounded vowel|low back rounded vowel]]. The Chamorro name for Guam is {{lang|ch|Guåhån}}, and its capital is called {{lang|ch|Hagåtña}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chamorro Orthography Rules |url=https://www.guampedia.com/chamorro-orthography-rules/ |access-date=20 August 2020 |website=Guampedia |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922175451/https://www.guampedia.com/chamorro-orthography-rules/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Greenlandic==
In [[Greenlandic language|Greenlandic]], ''å'' is not used in native words, but is used in several loanwords from Danish, such as ''båndoptageri'' (Danish ''båndoptager'') 'tape recorder'. Like in Danish, ''å'' is sorted last in the alphabet.

== Symbol for angstrom ==
The letter "Å" (U+00C5) is also used as the international symbol for the non-[[SI]] unit [[angstrom]], a [[physical unit]] of [[length]] named after the [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[physicist]] [[Anders Jonas Ångström]]. It is always [[uppercase]] in this context (symbols for units named after people are generally uppercase). The angstrom is equal to {{val|e=-10|u=m}} (one ten-billionth of a meter) or {{val|0.1|u=nm}}.

In [[Unicode]], the unit is encoded as {{unichar|212B|angstrom sign}}. However, it is [[Unicode normalization|canonically equivalent]] to the ordinary letter Å. The duplicate encoding at U+212B is due to round-trip mapping compatibility with an East-Asian [[character encoding]], but is otherwise not to be used.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Unicode Demystified: A Practical Programmer's Guide to the Encoding Standard|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wn5sXG8bEAcC&pg=PA74|publisher = Addison-Wesley Professional|date = 2003|isbn = 9780201700527|language = en|first = Richard|last = Gillam|pages = 74}}</ref>

== On computers ==

[[Image:Illuminated keyboard 2.JPG|thumb|right|Danish keyboard with keys for [[Æ]], [[Ø]] and Å.<br />On Norwegian keyboards the Æ and Ø trade places.]]
* {{unichar| 00C5}}
* {{unichar| 00E5 }}

== Type designs of the capital "Å" ==
{{uncited section|date=October 2025}}
[[File:Latin small and capital letter a with ring above.jpg|alt=This font uses the "ring stick" form.|thumb|The Å in Times New Roman.]]
Some [[type designers]] like using the "ring stick" state, as they think that that way the glyph will not be very tall. Otherwise prefer the "ring separate" state, for example [[SIL Global|SIL]] Fonts. The second state is more common.{{cn|date=October 2025}} 
[[File:A with Ring in Doulos SIL..png|thumb|SIL modified the ring position in the A-ring glyph. The ring is separated.]]

== See also ==
*[[Æ]]
*[[Ä]]
*[[Á]]
*[[A with ring above (Cyrillic)]], a letter used in the [[Selkup language]]
*[[Ø]]
*[[Ö]]
*[[Combining character]] (A and combining ring above (U+030A), Å å, or o above (U+0366), Aͦ aͦ, resembles Å å)

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
*Pettersson, Gertrud (1996), ''Svenska språket under sjuhundra år: en historia om svenskan och dess utforskande'', Lund: [[Studentlitteratur]], {{ISBN|91-44-48221-3}}

{{Latin script}}
{{Danish language}}
{{Norwegian language}}
{{Swedish language}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ao}}
[[Category:Danish language]]
[[Category:Istro-Romanian language]]
[[Category:Norwegian language]]
[[Category:Latin letters with diacritics]]
[[Category:Swedish language]]
[[Category:Vowel letters]]