An Síneadh Fada – the long accent in Irish
What is the Síneadh Fada?
Vowels in Irish have two qualities: short and long. The short vowels are a, e, i, o and u, whereas the long vowels are á, é, í, ó and ú. A ‘síneadh fada’ (often referred to as ‘a fada’) literally means ‘a long stretch’. When a síneadh fada occurs over a vowel, it shows that the vowel is long rather than short. This important detail remains, regardless of the dialect being spoken.
What difference does the Fada make?
Including, or omitting, the síneadh fada can make a distinct difference! Examples of words with short vowels are ‘fear’ (a man) and ‘cas’ (turn). Examples of words with long vowels are ‘féar’ (grass) and ‘cás’ (a case).
The only difference in writing between these pairs of words is whether or not the vowels have a síneadh fada. This is an important difference, as it may affect the meaning. Important distinctions can be found with the following words…
ar (on)
ár (a slaughter), or the
possessive adjective “our”
caca (shitty)
cáca (a cake)
fear (a man)
féar (grass)
briste (broken)
bríste (trousers/pants)
sean (old)
Seán (person’s name)
mala (eyebrow)
mála (bag)
eadra
(late morning milking time)
éadrá
(strand exposed by ebbing tide)
The importance of an síneadh fada even crops up when discussing languages and countries, as in the example below…
Now that we know how essential an síneadh fada really is, let’s make sure we are able to type it anytime it’s needed…
Typing a síneadh fada
If you’re typing on a smartphone or tablet, holding down the letter is usually all that’s required to find the option for a síneadh fada.
How do you type a fada on an iPhone?
Hold down the vowel and slide over to get áéíóú
Tap shift, then hold vowel down and slide for ÁÉÍÓÚ
How do you type a fada on an Android?
Tap and long press the vowel and slide over to get áéíóú
Tap shift, then hold vowel down and slide for ÁÉÍÓÚ
How do you type a fada on a Mac?
Hold down Alt Option + vowel for áéíóú
Hold down Alt Option + vowel + shift for ÁÉÍÓÚ
If that doesn’t work then update your keyboard settings and add the “English – Irish” keyboard by going to System Preferences>Keyboard>Input Sources.
How do you type a fada on a PC?
Hold down the Alt Gr button + vowel for áéíóú
Hold down Alt Gr + vowel + shift for ÁÉÍÓÚ
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