title: Python returning the wrong length of string when using special characters
body: <p>I have a string ë́aúlt that I want to get the length of a manipulate based on character positions and so on. The problem is that the first ë́ is being counted twice, or I guess ë is in position 0 and ´ is in position 1.</p>
  
  <p>Is there any possible way in Python to have a character like ë́ be represented as 1?</p>
  
  <p>I'm using UTF-8 encoding for the actual code and web page it is being outputted to.</p>
  
  <p>edit: Just some background on why I need to do this. I am working on a project that translates English to Seneca (a form of Native American language) and ë́ shows up quite a bit. Some rewrite rules for certain words require knowledge of letter position (itself and surrounding letters) and other characteristics, such as accents and other diacritic markings.</p>