keyboard Fongbe keyboard
Fon keyboard on Android: tutorial
Writing in fɔ̀ngbè on your Android phone with all the special characters (Ɖ, Ɛ, Ɔ) is simpler than you think. Here is the step-by-step guide.
Install Gboard
If you haven’t already, install Gboard (Google’s keyboard) from the Play Store. Free and official, it supports over 900 languages, including Fon.
Add the Fon keyboard
Once Gboard is installed:
1. Open Gboard (the app or your phone’s Settings)
2. Go to Languages
3. Tap Add keyboard
4. Search for “Fon” or “Fongbe”
5. Select it and confirm
Using the special characters
When you type with the Fon keyboard turned on:
The letters Ɖ, Ɛ, Ɔ appear directly
Long-press a vowel to see the accented variants (á, à, ǎ)
Switch between keyboards by holding the space bar
Tip: word suggestions
Gboard offers automatic suggestions in Fon. The more you write, the more it learns your frequent words. A real time-saver.
Write in Fon everywhere
With Gboard and the Fon keyboard turned on, you can send texts, WhatsApp messages and emails in fɔ̀ngbè with the correct characters. A small effort for a big cultural impact.
Tools help you out. A method gets you talking.
Dictionaries, keyboards, translators: useful, but they don’t teach you to speak. 79 video lessons with a native speaker, in order, with tones taken seriously — that’s what the Academy does.
One free trial lesson when you sign up.
- The Fon video course: see the program — 79 lessons with a native speaker from Cotonou, taught in French
- What is your Fon level? — the free 15-question test