1. In a mobile computing device having a telephone functionality, a computer-implemented method comprising: receiving keyed input requesting a base symbol for insertion into textual content on a display of the computing device; receiving keyed input requesting one or more alternate symbols associated with the base symbol, wherein the one or more alternate symbols are accented versions of the base symbol; displaying, simultaneously on the display, the one or more alternate symbols and the base symbol; and responsive to a user selection of one of the displayed alternate symbols, replacing the base symbol with the selected alternate symbol in the textual content.