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HTML Symbols

Find common HTML symbols, named character references, decimal codes, hexadecimal codes, punctuation, arrows, spaces, and special characters.

Published
HTML Characters Numeric Codes Symbols
© Named Reference
© Decimal Reference
© Hex Reference
Quick Answer

HTML character references let you represent reserved characters, symbols, punctuation, and invisible spacing characters in HTML source. A modern UTF-8 document can contain most characters directly, but references such as &, <, and   remain useful when a character has special meaning in HTML or needs to be represented explicitly.

Quick Lookup

Common HTML Symbols

The table below includes common symbols and the source forms typically used to represent them in HTML.

Symbol Named Decimal Hex Meaning
& & & & Ampersand
< &lt; &#60; &#x3C; Less-than sign
> &gt; &#62; &#x3E; Greater-than sign
" &quot; &#34; &#x22; Double quotation mark
' &apos; &#39; &#x27; Apostrophe
© &copy; &#169; &#xA9; Copyright
® &reg; &#174; &#xAE; Registered trademark
™ &trade; &#8482; &#x2122; Trademark
• &bull; &#8226; &#x2022; Bullet
… &hellip; &#8230; &#x2026; Ellipsis
– &ndash; &#8211; &#x2013; En dash
— &mdash; &#8212; &#x2014; Em dash
  &nbsp; &#160; &#xA0; Non-breaking space
Named Character References

Names such as &copy; and &mdash; are commonly called HTML entities. In modern HTML terminology they are named character references.

Same Character

Four Ways to Write a Symbol

A Unicode character can often be written directly or represented using a named, decimal, or hexadecimal character reference. All four examples below produce the same copyright character.

Literal ©

Write the Unicode character directly in a UTF-8 document.

Named Character Reference

Uses a readable predefined character name.

Decimal Base 10

Uses the Unicode code point written as a decimal number.

Hexadecimal Base 16

Uses the Unicode code point written in hexadecimal.

Which Form Should You Use?

In a UTF-8 document, direct characters are usually fine for ordinary text. Named references can make reserved or invisible characters easier to recognize in source code, while numeric references can represent Unicode characters even when no convenient named reference exists.

HTML Syntax

Reserved HTML Characters

Some characters participate directly in HTML syntax. Character references are especially important when those characters need to appear as ordinary text.

Character Reference Why It Matters
& &amp; Begins character references, so it may need escaping when displayed literally.
< &lt; Begins HTML tags and markup.
> &gt; Ends tags. It can often appear literally in text, but escaping it can improve clarity in code examples.
" &quot; Must be handled when a double quote appears inside a double-quoted attribute value.
' &apos; Must be handled when an apostrophe appears inside a single-quoted attribute value.
Displaying HTML Code as Text

To display markup such as <div> on a page without creating an actual element, encode the angle brackets as &lt; and &gt;.

Punctuation

Typography & Punctuation

HTML character references are useful for typographic marks that are difficult to type or that need to remain visually consistent in source code.

Symbol Named Decimal Name
– &ndash; &#8211; En dash
— &mdash; &#8212; Em dash
‘ &lsquo; &#8216; Left single quotation mark
’ &rsquo; &#8217; Right single quotation mark
“ &ldquo; &#8220; Left double quotation mark
” &rdquo; &#8221; Right double quotation mark
… &hellip; &#8230; Ellipsis
• &bull; &#8226; Bullet
Use the Correct Character

An em dash, en dash, hyphen, straight quote, and typographic quote are different Unicode characters. Choose the character that matches the intended typography rather than relying on visual similarity.

Common Symbols

Math, Currency & Legal Symbols

Symbol Named Decimal Name
¢ &cent; &#162; Cent
£ &pound; &#163; Pound sterling
¥ &yen; &#165; Yen
€ &euro; &#8364; Euro
± &plusmn; &#177; Plus-minus
× &times; &#215; Multiplication
÷ &divide; &#247; Division
≠ &ne; &#8800; Not equal
≤ &le; &#8804; Less than or equal
≥ &ge; &#8805; Greater than or equal
∞ &infin; &#8734; Infinity
© &copy; &#169; Copyright
® &reg; &#174; Registered trademark
™ &trade; &#8482; Trademark
Directional Symbols

HTML Arrow Symbols

← &larr;

Left arrow. Decimal code: &#8592;.

↑ &uarr;

Up arrow. Decimal code: &#8593;.

→ &rarr;

Right arrow. Decimal code: &#8594;.

↓ &darr;

Down arrow. Decimal code: &#8595;.

↔ &harr;

Left-right arrow. Decimal code: &#8596;.

Symbols Are Not Accessible Labels

An arrow or symbol used as an interface control still needs an accessible name. The character itself does not automatically communicate the control's purpose to assistive technology.

Invisible Characters

HTML Spaces

Several character references represent spacing characters that behave differently from an ordinary keyboard space.

Reference Decimal Character Use
&nbsp; &#160; Non-breaking space Prevents a normal line break between adjacent content.
&ensp; &#8194; En space Typographic space approximately the width of an en.
&emsp; &#8195; Em space Typographic space approximately the width of an em.
&thinsp; &#8201; Thin space Narrow typographic spacing.
Do Not Use Spaces for Layout

Repeating &nbsp; to push content across a page is not a reliable layout technique. Use CSS padding, margins, gaps, grid, or flexbox for visual spacing.

Usage Guide

Using HTML Symbols Correctly

UTF-8 Preferred Encoding

Declare UTF-8 with <meta charset="UTF-8"> and ensure the document is served using the correct encoding.

Escape Reserved Syntax

Encode characters such as < and & when they would otherwise be interpreted as HTML syntax.

Semicolon End the Reference

Write complete references such as &copy; rather than relying on legacy cases where the semicolon may be omitted.

Fonts Glyph Support

A character reference identifies a character, but the user's font still needs a matching glyph to display it.

Direct Character or Reference?

Situation Recommended Approach
Normal Unicode text Direct UTF-8 characters are generally appropriate.
Reserved HTML syntax Use the appropriate character reference.
Invisible spacing character A named reference such as &nbsp; makes the source easier to understand.
Character with no memorable name Use a decimal or hexadecimal numeric reference when needed.
Page layout spacing Use CSS rather than repeated spacing characters.
Character Reference ≠ Visual Guarantee

A named or numeric reference identifies a Unicode character. It does not determine the exact visual design of that character. Appearance depends on the font and rendering environment.

FAQ

HTML Symbol Questions

What is an HTML entity?

The phrase HTML entity is commonly used for named character references such as &copy; or &amp;. Character references allow HTML source to represent reserved characters, symbols, and other Unicode characters.

Do I need to use &copy; instead of ©?

No. In a properly encoded UTF-8 HTML document, you can normally write © directly. The forms &copy;, &#169;, and &#xA9; represent the same character.

How do I display a less-than sign in HTML?

Use &lt; when a less-than sign needs to appear as text rather than being interpreted as the beginning of HTML markup.

What does &nbsp; mean?

&nbsp; represents a non-breaking space. It displays spacing while preventing a normal line break at that position.

What is the difference between decimal and hexadecimal HTML codes?

Both identify a Unicode code point. Decimal references use base 10, such as &#169;. Hexadecimal references use base 16, such as &#xA9;.

Do HTML character references need a semicolon?

The safest practice is to include the terminating semicolon. Although HTML has some legacy parsing cases where it can be omitted, complete references are clearer and avoid ambiguous source code.

Why does a symbol sometimes display as an empty square?

The character may be valid while the selected font lacks a glyph for it. Character references identify characters; they do not guarantee that every font can visually render them.