how do you get all the special characters...

I need


E with two dots on top
A with two dots
A with line over it
I with two dots
Z with a semi circle

ë = option u, then plain e
ä = option u, then plain a
á = option e, then plain a (Is this is type of line you want? I couldn't find a horizontal one.)
ï = option u, then plain i

I tried to do the z with a semi-circle, but the computer wouldn't let me. It seems that you can only put these special marks above vowels. (By semi-circle, did you mean ˆ, as in "Khazad-dûm"? This one is option i.)

I hope this helps!

You can also experiment with "option" and then any letter or punctuation key to make other cool marks and characters.

On my keyboard, the option key also says "alt" in the top left corner. I'm using a Mac, so I'm not sure if this key has a different name for Windows/PC users.

There are lots of ways to get almost any character you want depending on your OS. But the best way is to find a character map program (there should be one on your computer no matter what the OS). Find your character there and copy and paste it into here.

This thread has been moved to Q & A.