Based on Good way to make \textcircled numbers?, is there a simple way to make the circles look exactly the same for numbers and all letters (i.e. size and placement)?
When one inserts an a in the circle, the node is drawn slightly lower than the node for a number.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\newcommand*\circled[1]{\tikz[baseline=(char.base)]{
\node[shape=circle, draw, inner sep=1pt,
minimum height=12pt] (char) {#1};}}
\begin{document}
This is \circled{a} \circled{1} balloon.
\end{document}
EDIT
Based on the answer by @koleygr and the post circled letters: same size as uncircled letters, I find this solution the most pleasing and versatile:
\newcommand*{\circled}[2][]{\tikz[baseline=(C.base)]{
\node[inner sep=0pt] (C) {\vphantom{1g}#2};
\node[draw, circle, inner sep=3pt, yshift=1pt]
at (C.center) {\vphantom{1g}};}}





\strutin with the letter or digit to guarantee that that's encircled always has the same height and depth. (not tried; the default\strutmay be a bit large, so an alternative could be\vphantom{Xy}.) – barbara beeton Sep 19 '17 at 19:56