View source for Ë

{{Short description|Latin letter E with diaeresis}}
{{About-distinguish|the letter of the Latin alphabet|Yo (Cyrillic){{!}}Cyrillic Yo (Ë)}}

{{Infobox grapheme
|name=E-umlaut
|letter=Ë ë
|image=File:Latin letter E with diaeresis.svg
|imageclass=skin-invert-image
|type=alphabet
|script=[[Latin script]]
|phonemes={{flex list
| [{{IPA link|ə}}]
| [{{IPA link|ɛ}}]
| [{{IPA link|iː}}]
| [{{IPA link|iəː}}]
| [{{IPA link|ɔʏː}}]
| [eu]
| [{{IPA link|ɘ}}]
| [jo]
| [{{IPA link|ẽ}}]
| [{{IPA link|e}}]
| [ɤu]
| [{{IPA link|ɤ}}]
| [ɤ̞]
| [{{IPA link|ʌ}}]
}}|unicode=U+00CB, U+00EB|variations=[[É|É é]], [[Ẽ|Ẽ ẽ]]|fam1=[[E]] [[e]]}}
'''Ë''', '''ë''' (e with [[diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] or [[e]]-[[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]]) is a letter in the [[Albanian language|Albanian]], [[Kashubian language|Kashubian]], [[Emilian dialects|Emilian]], [[Romagnol]], [[Ladin language|Ladin]], and [[Lenape]]<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Lenape Talking Dictionary |url=https://www.talk-lenape.org/lessons?id=4}}</ref> alphabets. As a variant of the letter ''e'', it also appears in [[Acehnese language|Acehnese]], [[Afrikaans]], [[Belarussian language|Belarusian]], [[Breton language|Breton]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[English language|English]], [[Filipino language|Filipino]], [[French language|French]], [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]], [[Piedmontese language|Piedmontese]], [[Russian language|Russian]], the Abruzzese dialect of the [[Neapolitan language]], and the Ascolano dialect. The letter is also used in [[Seneca language|Seneca]], [[Taiwanese Hokkien]], [[Turoyo language|Turoyo]], and [[Uyghur language|Uyghur]] when written in [[Latin alphabet|Latin script]].

==Usage in various languages==
===Acehnese===
In [[Acehnese language|Acehnese]], ''ë'' is used to represent {{IPA|/ə/}} ([[schwa]]), a [[mid central vowel]].

===Afrikaans===
In [[Afrikaans]], the [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] (Afrikaans: ''deelteken'', {{IPA|af|ˈdiəl.tiəkən|}}) is used mostly to indicate that two vowels are pronounced separately. The ''deelteken'' does exactly what it means in Afrikaans ("separation mark") by marking the beginning of a new syllable and by separating it from the previous one. For example, ''geëet'' ("eaten") is pronounced {{IPA|af|χəˈiət|}} in two syllables, the second one beginning with ''ë.''

The ''deelteken'' does not always influence the number of syllables. The word ''voël'' ("bird"), pronounced {{IPA|af|fuəl|}}, is different from ''voel'' ("feel"), pronounced {{IPA|af|ful|}}, but both words have one syllable. In other cases, the ''deelteken'' does not even change the pronunciation. The words ''geër'' ("giver") and ''geer'' (a wedge-shaped piece of fabric), for instance, are both pronounced {{IPA|af|χiər|}} in contemporary language. Historically, though, words like ''geër'' or ''reën'' ("rain") were pronounced in two syllables: ''reën,'' which nowadays is pronounced {{IPA|af|riən|}}, was pronounced as {{IPA|af|ˈreː.ən|}} in older Afrikaans. The ''deelteken'' is only [[etymology|etymological]] since the archaic form of ''reën'' is ''regen.''

===Albanian===
''Ë'' is the 8th letter of the [[Albanian alphabet]] and represents the vowel {{IPAslink|ə}}, like the pronunciation of the {{angbr|a}} in "'''a'''go". It is the fourth most commonly used letter of the language, comprising 7.74 percent of all writings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trost |first=Stefan |title=Alphabet and Character Frequency: Albanian (Shqip) |url=https://www.sttmedia.com/characterfrequency-albanian |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=www.sttmedia.com |language=en}}</ref> According to other data, it is the most common letter, comprising 10.290% of writings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dika |first=Agni |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260024524|title=Frekuencat e shpërndarjes së shkronjave dhe grafemave në gjuhën e shkruar shqipe [The Frequency Distribution of Letters and Graphemes in Albanian Written Texts]|language=sq}}</ref>

===Armenian===
''Ë'' is used in the [[Romanization of Armenian|romanization of Classical or Eastern Armenian]] to represent the letter {{lang|hy|Ը/ը}} ([[Et (Armenian letter)|ët’]]).

===Ascolano===
''Ë'' is a phonetic symbol also used in the transcription of [[Neapolitan language|Abruzzese dialects]] and in the [[Province of Ascoli Piceno]] (the Ascolano dialect). It is called "mute E" and sounds like a hummed ''é''. It is important for the prosody of the dialect itself.

===Dutch===
In Dutch, ''ë'' appears in the plural form of most words that end in ''-ie'' or ''-ee'', like ''kolonie'' -> ''koloniën'', ''zee'' -> ''zeeën'', and ''knie'' -> ''knieën'' (Dutch-language rules stipulate an extra ''e'' before the ''ë'' in plurals if the accent falls on the syllable containing the ''ë''). This so-called [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|trema]] indicates that the vowel letter does not form a digraph with the preceding vowel letter but is pronounced separately. For example, ''koloniën'' is pronounced {{IPA|nl|koːˈloːnijə(n)||nl-koloniën.ogg}}, but ''kolonien'' would be pronounced *{{IPA|nl|koːˈloːnin|}}.   In the case of "Moët" champagne, the two dots over the "e" indicate that the "e" sound should be pronounced separately from the preceding "o". Therefore, "Moët" is pronounced with the "e" sounding as in "bet".

=== Emilian ===
In some peripheral [[Emilian dialect|Emilian]] dialects, ë is used to represent [ə], e.g. ''strëtt'' [strətː] "narrow".

===English===
Use of the character ''Ë'' in the [[English language]] is relatively rare. Some publications, such as the American magazine ''[[The New Yorker]]'', use it more often than others.<ref>[[The New Yorker#Style|The New Yorker – Style Notation]]</ref> It is used to indicate that the ''e'' is to be pronounced separately from the preceding vowel (e.g. in the word "reëntry", the feminine name "Chloë" or in the masculine name "Raphaël"), or at all – like in the name of the [[Brontë family|Brontë sisters]], where without diaeresis the final ''e'' would be mute.

===Filipino===
{{Further|Filipino orthography}} In the [[Filipino language]] (Filipíno/Filipino), Ë or ë, only since 2013, represents the schwa vowel sound natively existing in few to some [[Filipino language|Filipino]] words from [[Maranao language|Maranao]] (Mëranáw/Mëranaw), [[Pangasinan language|Pangasinan]] (Panggasinán/Pangasinan), and [[Ilocano language|Ilocano]] (Ilokáno/Ilokano) languages that are also words in [[Filipino language|Filipino]]. Such is the case among few to some other Filipino words from other languages in the Philippines that natively have this vowel sound (e.g. [[Karay-a language|Karay-a]] (Karáy-a/Kinaray-a), [[Cuyonon language|Cuyonon]] (Kuyónon/Kuyonon), [[Kankanaey language|Kankanaey]] (Kankanáëy/Kankanay), and [[Ibaloi language|Ibaloi]] (Ibalóy/Ibaloy) languages) and that are also words in [[Filipino language|Filipino]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Almario|first=Virgilio|url=https://kwf.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/MMP_Full.pdf|title=KWF Manwal sa Masinop na Pagsulat|publisher=Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino|year=2014|location=Manila}}</ref>

Before the introduction of this variant of the letter ''Ee'' in  the [[Filipino language]]'s [[Filipino orthography|orthography]], the schwa vowel sound was ambiguously represented by either the letter ''A'' / ''a'' or ''E'' / ''e''. <ref>{{Cite book|last=Almario|first=Virgilio|url=https://kwf.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/MMP_Full.pdf|title=KWF Manwal sa Masinop na Pagsulat|publisher=Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino|year=2014|location=Manila}}</ref>

Since stressed vowels are marked with an [[acute accent]] (Éé), the Ë / ë, when stressed, will become Ë́ / ë́.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino |title=Salit-salitaan |url=https://www.facebook.com/komfilgov/posts/pfbid02M5jzFyxcZ27f2ZFzFihEiiGLv5xvsa2HMnLwYBeL1L7U1UDrEUpaPX9t2GabBtCYl |website=Facebook |access-date=17 May 2025 |date=11 July 2024 |quote=angë́p}}</ref>

===French===
''Ë'' appears in words like French ''Noël''. Like in Dutch, it is used to indicate that the vowel letter does not form a digraph with the preceding vowel letter but is pronounced separately. For example, ''Noël'' is pronounced {{IPA|fr|nɔɛl|}}, whilst ''Noel'' would be pronounced {{IPA|fr|nwɛl|}}.

===German===
[[File:Schafkopf-Büchlein.jpg|thumb|E-diaeresis in the word ''Poësie'']]
''Ë'' does not occur in the ''official'' [[German alphabet]]. However, a diaeresis above '''e''' in German occurs in a few proper names and ethnonyms, such as [[Ferdinand Piëch]], [[Bernhard Hoëcker]], [[Aleuts|Alëuten]], [[Niue|Niuë]], [[Uea|Uëa]]. Occasionally, a diaeresis may be used in some well-known names, such as [[Italy|Italiën]], which is usually written as ''Italien''. Without a diaeresis, ''ie'' would be [iː] instead of [iə]; ''eu'' would be [ɔʏ] instead of [eu] and ''ae'', ''oe'', ''ue'' would be alternative representations of respectively [[ä]], [[ö]], [[ü]].

===Hungarian===
''Ë'' does not belong to the ''official'' [[Hungarian alphabet]], but is usually applied in folklore notations and sometimes also in stylistic writing, e.g. is extensively used in the vocal oeuvre of [[Kodály]]. The reason is that open ''e'' (close to English hat, cat, cap) and closed ''ë'' (close to Spanish e) are distinguished in most spoken dialects, but is not indicated in writing because of the history of writing and due to little but observable areal variation.

===Kashubian===
''Ë'' is the 9th letter of the [[Kashubian alphabet]] and represents {{IPAslink|ə}}.

===Ladin===
Although not used in standard [[Ladin language|Ladin]], ''Ë'' is used in the local variations ''gherdëina'', ''badiot'' and ''fodom''. It represents {{IPAslink|ɜ}}.

===Latin===
In many editions of [[Latin]] texts, the diaeresis is used to indicate that ''ae'' and ''oe'' form a [[Hiatus (linguistics)|hiatus]], not a diphthong (in the Classical pronunciation) or a monophthong (in traditional English pronunciations). Examples: ''aër'' "air", ''poëta'' "poet", ''coërcere'' "to coerce".

===Lenape===
In the [[Lenape]] language, the letter ë is used to represent the schwa vowel. An example of its use is the word ''mikwën'', which means "feather". It can also be found in more complex words, such as ''ntëmpëm'', which means "my brain".<ref name=":0" />

===Luxembourgish===
In [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]], ''ë'' is used to indicate stressed [[schwa]] {{IPA|/ə/}} as in the word ''ëmmer'' [ˈəmɐ] ("always"). Otherwise, a stressed ''e'' is pronounced as [æ] (e.g. ''sechs'' [zæks] ("six")), [ɛ] (e.g. ''Verb'' [vɛχp] ("verb")) or [eː] (e.g. ''Prefix'' [ˈpʀeːfiks] ("prefix")).

It is also used to indicate an unstressed schwa in the following cases:

# Before or after a double ''ee'', pronounced [eː], to indicate that the ''ë'' does not form a digraph with the preceding or following vowel letter but is pronounced separately, for example: ''gëeegent'' [ɡəˈʔeːʑənt] ("suitable"), ''Eeër'' [ˈeːɐ] ("eggs") or ''leeën'' [ˈleːən] ("to lay"). This also applies to French loanwords ending in ''-ée'', e.g. ''Musée'' [ˈmyːzeː] ("museum"), ''n''-plural: ''Muséeën'' [ˈmyːzeːən]'', n''-less plural: ''Muséeë'' [ˈmyːzeːə]. About usage of plural forms with and without ''-n'', see [[Eifeler Regel]].
# To indicate that the word-final ''-e'' is pronounced in the ''n''-less plural form of words whose singular ends in a mute ''-e'', e.g. ''Orange'' [ˈoʀɑ̃ːʃ] ("orange", singular), ''Orangen'' [ˈoʀɑ̃ːʃən] (plural with ''-n''), ''Orangë'' [ˈoʀɑ̃ːʃə] (plural without ''-n'').
# In feminine nouns with a word-final mute ''-e'' denoting a female person, an extra ''ë'' is added in the plural to distinguish it from the plural of the corresponding masculine noun:
#* ''Cliente'' [ˈkliɑ̃ːt] ("customer" [female], feminine, singular), ''Clienteën'' [ˈkliɑ̃ːtən] (plural with ''-n''), ''Clienteë'' [ˈkliɑ̃ːtə] (plural without ''-n'') vs.
#* ''Client'' [ˈkliɑ̃ː]  ("customer" [male or gender-neutral], masculine, singular), ''Clienten'' [ˈkliɑ̃ːən] (plural with ''-n''), ''Clientë'' [ˈkliɑ̃ːə] (plural without ''-n'').
# In the corresponding masculine nouns the [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] is used in the ''n''-less plural form to distinguish it from the singular of the corresponding feminine noun: ''Clientë'' [ˈkliɑ̃ːə] ("customers" [male or gender-neutral], masculine, plural without ''-n'') vs. ''Cliente'' [ˈkliɑ̃ːt] ("customer" [female], feminine, singular).

===Mayan languages===
In the modern orthography of [[Mayan languages]], the letter ''Ë'' represents {{IPAslink|ə}}.

===Piedmontese===
''Ë'' represents the mid central vowel {{IPAslink|ə}} in the modern orthography of [[Piedmontese language]].

===Proto-Finnic===
<span class="anchor" id="Finnic"></span>
''Ë'' is used in the linguistic reconstructions of [[Proto-Finnic]] to denote a mid back unrounded vowel [ɤ~ɤ̞~ʌ] the back counterpart to [e] for Proto-Finnic's system of [[vowel harmony]]. It is also used in the allophonic diphthong [ɤu] – ''ëu''.

===Quenya===
In the [[constructed language]] [[Quenya]], a diaeresis indicates that a vowel is not part of a diphthong, for example in ''ëa'' or ''ëo''. Final ''ë'' is also marked with a diaeresis to remind English-speakers that it is not silent.

===Romagnol===
Ë is used in [[Romagnol dialect|Romagnol]] to represent [ɛː~ɛə], e.g. ''fradël'' [fraˈdɛəl~fraˈdɛːl] "brother".

===Russian===
In some Latin transliterations of [[Russian language|Russian]] such as [[ISO 9]], ''ë'' is used for its [[homoglyph]] ''[[Yo (Cyrillic)|ё]]'', representing a {{IPA|/[[Yo (Cyrillic)|jo]]/}}, as in ''Potëmkin'' to render the Cyrillic ''Потёмкин''. Other translations use ''yo'', ''jo'' or (ambiguously) simply ''e''.

===Syriac===
In the [[romanization of Syriac]], the letter ''Ë'' gives a [[schwa]]. In some grammatical constructions, it is a replacement for the other, original vowels (a, o, e, i, u). Example words that have ''Ë'': ''knoṭër'' ("he is waiting"), ''krëhṭi'' ("they are running"), ''krëqdo'' ("she is dancing"), ''ŝërla'' ("she has closed"), ''gfolëḥ'' ("he will work"), ''madënḥo'' ("east"), ''mën'' ("what"), ''ašër'' ("believe"). [[Turoyo language|Turoyo]] and [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic|Assyrian]] languages may utilize this diacritic, albeit rarely.

===Seneca===
In [[Seneca language|Seneca]], the letter ''Ë'' is used to represent {{IPA|/ẽ/}}, a [[close-mid front unrounded vowel|close-mid front unrounded]] [[nasalized vowel]].

===Tagalog===
In the [[Tagalog language]] and in and from its de facto standardized form of or as the [[Filipino language]], ''Ë'' or ''ë'', only since 2013, is used to represent the [[schwa]] vowel sound, particularly in non-native [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] loanwords from  the other [[languages of the Philippines]] and, specifically and especially in the case of [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], from or through either themselves or [[Filipino language|Filipino]], or both, such as from [[Maranao language|Maranao]] (Mëranaw), [[Pangasinan language|Pangasinan]] (Panggasinan/Pangasinan), [[Ilocano language|Ilocano]] (Ilokano), [[Karay-a language|Karay-a]] (Karay-a/Kinaray-a), [[Cuyonon language|Cuyonon]] (Kuyonon), [[Kankanaey language|Kankanaey]] (Kankanaëy/Kankanay), and [[Ibaloi language|Ibaloi]] (Ibaloy). 

Before the introduction of this letter ''Ee'' variant of and from [[Filipino language|Filipino]]'s [[Filipino orthography|orthography]], the schwa vowel sound was ambiguously represented by either the letter ''A'' / ''a'' or ''E'' / ''e'' in [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]].

===Uyghur===
''Ë'' is the 6th letter of the [[Uyghur Latin alphabet]] and represents close-mid front unrounded vowel {{IPAslink|e}} (while plain ''E'' stands for {{IPAslink|ɛ}} or {{IPAslink|æ}}).

==Character mappings==
* {{unichar|00CB}}
* {{unichar|00EB}}

==See also==
*[[Two dots (diacritic)]]
*[[Yo (Cyrillic)|Yo]], a [[Cyrillic]] [[homoglyph]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Latin script}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:E}}
[[Category:Latin letters with diacritics|E-umlaut]]