How to Insert Special Quotation Marks in Word

Standard straight quotation marks often look out of place in a professionally formatted document. Curly or smart quotes, also known as typographer’s quotation marks, curve toward the text they enclose and give your document a polished, typeset appearance. Word offers built-in AutoCorrect settings and manual keyboard shortcuts to insert these special quotation marks. This article explains how to enable smart quotes globally and how to type specific characters like single quotes, double quotes, and foreign quotation marks.

Overview of Special Quotation Marks

Special quotation marks include curly single and double quotes, also called smart quotes, as well as language-specific marks such as guillemets used in French and German texts. Word can automatically convert straight quotes to smart quotes when you type, but the feature must be turned on. You can also insert specific characters manually using keyboard shortcuts or the Symbol dialog. No additional fonts or software are required; the characters are part of the Unicode standard and work in all modern versions of Word.

Types of Special Quotation Marks You Can Insert

Word supports the following common special quotation marks:

• Opening double quote (curly left): “
• Closing double quote (curly right): ”
• Opening single quote (curly left): ‘
• Closing single quote (curly right): ’
• Double guillemets (French): « »
• Single guillemets (German): ‹ ›
• Low double quote (used in German): „
• Low single quote (used in German): ‚

Steps to Enable Automatic Smart Quotes

The easiest way to insert special quotation marks is to let Word convert them automatically as you type. This method works for new text and can also be applied to existing documents.

1. Open the AutoCorrect dialog
   Click File > Options > Proofing. Click the AutoCorrect Options button.
2. Switch to the AutoFormat As You Type tab
   In the AutoCorrect dialog, click the tab labeled AutoFormat As You Type.
3. Enable smart quotes
   Under the Replace as you type section, check the box next to Replace straight quotes with smart quotes.
4. Apply to existing text if needed
   To convert straight quotes already in your document, select all text with Ctrl + A, then go to Home > Replace. In the Find what field type a straight double quote (“), in the Replace with field type the same straight double quote. Click More > Format > Language and set the language. Click Replace All. This forces Word to apply the smart quotes formatting to existing text.

Steps to Insert Special Quotation Marks Manually

When you need a specific quotation mark that AutoCorrect does not produce, use the keyboard shortcuts below. These shortcuts work in Word on Windows.

Insert Curly Single Quotes

1. Opening single smart quote
   Press Ctrl + ` (grave accent, the key above Tab) then release both keys. Press the single quote key (‘). This inserts the character ‘.
2. Closing single smart quote
   Press Ctrl + ‘ (apostrophe) then release both keys. Press the single quote key (‘) again. This inserts the character ’.

Insert Curly Double Quotes

1. Opening double smart quote
   Press Ctrl + Shift + ` (grave accent) then release all keys. Press the double quote key (“). This inserts the character “.
2. Closing double smart quote
   Press Ctrl + Shift + ‘ (apostrophe) then release all keys. Press the double quote key (“) again. This inserts the character ”.

Insert Guillemets and Other Foreign Quotes

1. Open the Symbol dialog
   Click Insert > Symbol > More Symbols.
2. Select the character set
   In the dialog, set the Subset dropdown to General Punctuation. Scroll to find the desired quotation mark. For guillemets, set the Subset to Latin-1 Supplement.
3. Insert the character
   Click the character, then click Insert. Close the dialog. The character appears at the cursor position.

Common Issues When Inserting Special Quotation Marks

AutoCorrect Does Not Convert Existing Straight Quotes

The AutoCorrect setting only affects new text you type. To convert existing straight quotes, use the Find and Replace method described in step 4 of the first method. Alternatively, select the text and press Ctrl + Shift + F to open the Font dialog, then set the language to a language that uses smart quotes, such as English (United States).

Keyboard Shortcuts Insert the Wrong Character

If pressing Ctrl + ` followed by a quote key inserts a grave accent or nothing, your keyboard layout may differ. Verify that you are using the US keyboard layout. On non-US layouts, the grave accent key may be located elsewhere, or the shortcut may not work. Use the Symbol dialog as a fallback.

Smart Quotes Appear as Boxes or Question Marks

This occurs when the font you are using does not support the Unicode characters for smart quotes. Switch to a font that includes full Unicode support, such as Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, or Segoe UI. If the problem persists, the document may be set to an older encoding; save the file as a .docx file rather than .doc.

Comparison of Methods to Insert Special Quotation Marks

Method	AutoCorrect	Keyboard Shortcuts	Symbol Dialog
Ease of use	Automatic after setup	Fast after memorizing	Slower but comprehensive
Works on new text	Yes	Yes	Yes
Works on existing text	Only after Find and Replace	No	Yes
Supports all Unicode marks	Limited to curly quotes	Limited to curly quotes	Full Unicode set
Requires keyboard layout	No	US or similar	No

You can now insert special quotation marks in Word using automatic conversion, keyboard shortcuts, or the Symbol dialog. Start by enabling AutoCorrect for smart quotes to handle everyday typing. For foreign quotation marks like guillemets or low quotes, use the Symbol dialog. If you frequently use a specific mark, consider assigning a custom keyboard shortcut via File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Customize Keyboard Shortcuts for a faster workflow.