Prepare bases before the mark collection
Open Smart IPA, disable Smart IPA suggestions and type [n n] with a single space between the bases. Select Subscript symbols from Keyboard. The bracketed text remains available after the layout changes. Make sure suggestions are off again and Shift and Alt Gr are off. You are now ready to add the marks to existing letters.
This workflow avoids searching for ordinary n in a collection designed mainly around combining diacritics. The name Subscript symbols is a legacy navigation label, not a promise of a full small-letter alphabet. Start with an explicitly supplied phonetic task: a mark’s position below a letter does not tell you what it means or justify adding it to real speech data.
Attach the syllabic mark
Move the caret after the first n and before the space. Home and two Right presses reach this position on the single-line scaffold. Click the apostrophe-position key showing a dotted circle with a vertical line below. It inserts the combining syllabic mark, U+0329. The dotted circle helps you see the isolated mark on the key; it is not inserted.
Check the resulting first item n̩ before continuing. The mark is stored after n but drawn below it, marking syllabic use of the nasal. That order matters: inserting it after the opening bracket or after the space would give it a different textual attachment. Leave the mark next to its intended base rather than trying to position it with spaces.
Mark the second nasal as voiceless
From the caret after the new syllabic mark, press Right twice to move across the space and the second n. Click the ring-below key at the o position. The complete line should read [n̩ n̥]. Inspect the second item closely: its ring is not the vertical line used on the first item, and no ordinary o has been added.
The ring below marks voicelessness in this IPA use. Syllabicity concerns a different property, so these two marks should not be explained as opposite settings on one scale. They were chosen to demonstrate distinct annotations. Keep the comparison labels beside the sample, especially in learner notes where tiny marks are otherwise easy to confuse.
Inspect the saved sequence
Choose Download text and open i2speak.txt as UTF-8. The checked result is [n̩ n̥], with each base followed by its combining mark. Confirm that the first mark is vertical, the second is a ring and neither item contains a dotted circle. A font may position them somewhat differently while preserving the same characters.
Retain the editable file when preparing a worksheet or dataset. If a destination displays a detached or missing mark, investigate font support and compare with the original sequence before replacing it. For actual transcripts, document which phonetic distinctions you are recording. Successful character entry does not establish syllable structure or voicing in speech that has not been analyzed.
Choose the right notation
Which base should receive the mark?
Place the caret immediately after the intended base, before the next space or bracket. A combining character’s stored order follows that base; visual placement below does not mean you should type it first.
Is this a diacritic or a lowered letter?
Use the requested phonetic mark for this task. A general subscript letter, an underline and a combining syllabic or voiceless mark serve different purposes, even if their shapes occupy a similar region below the line.
Reverse the annotated items
Write voiceless n first and syllabic n second, keeping one separating space and phonetic brackets.
Compare with the model answer
Move the complete base-and-mark items, or rebuild each one carefully. The ring must stay with the first n and the vertical syllabic mark with the second; neither should attach to punctuation.
Common questions
Should I insert the dotted circle shown on the key?
No. It is a display aid for an isolated combining mark. A finished marked letter supplies its own base, such as n in this example.
Does syllabic mean voiceless?
No. Syllabicity and voicing are different properties. The vertical mark below and the ring below have distinct IPA functions.
Why not use a normal underscore or the letter o under n?
Those are different characters and do not encode the requested phonetic marks. Choose the combining mark itself, then inspect its attachment in the target font.
Sources & further reading
- International Phonetic Association: interactive chart
The distinct IPA functions of the syllabic mark and voiceless diacritic.
- Unicode: Combining Diacritical Marks
The encoded identities U+0329 and U+0325 used by the two mapped keys.
- Unicode: characters and combining marks
The base-followed-by-mark structure and the separation between character identity and linguistic use.
Put it into practice
Open Subscript symbols to try the example, then continue with the topic’s practice exercises.
Explore the practice guide
