HTML Symbols & Entities

Complete reference for special characters in HTML

About HTML Symbols

HTML symbols are special characters that aren't readily available on standard keyboards or have special meaning in HTML. They can be displayed using entity names (like ©) or entity numbers (like ©).

Entity Numbers
Entity Names
Symbols

How to Use HTML Symbols

Entity Syntax

HTML symbols can be added using either entity names or entity numbers:

  • Entity names: &name;
    Example: © becomes ©
  • Entity numbers: &#number;
    Example: © becomes ©
  • Hexadecimal numbers: &#xHex;
    Example: © becomes ©
<!-- Entity name example -->
<p>Copyright &copy; 2023</p>

<!-- Entity number example -->
<p>Copyright &#169; 2023</p>

<!-- Hexadecimal example -->
<p>Copyright &#xA9; 2023</p>

<!-- All three display as: Copyright © 2023 -->

When to Use Symbols

HTML symbols are essential for:

  • Displaying special characters (©, ®, ™)
  • Showing currency symbols (€, £, ¥)
  • Mathematical notation (π, √, ∞)
  • Arrows and directional indicators (→, ↑, ↓)
  • Reserved characters in HTML (<, >, &)
  • Accented characters (é, ñ, ü)

Tip: For better accessibility, always use semantic HTML elements where possible (like <sup>for exponents) rather than symbol entities.

Common Symbols

NameEntity NameEntity NumberSymbolAction
Copyright&copy;&#xA9;©
Registered Trademark&reg;&#xAE;®
Trademark&trade;&#x2122;™
Non-breaking Space&nbsp;&#xA0;
Ampersand&amp;&#x26;&
Less Than&lt;&#x3C;<
Greater Than&gt;&#x3E;>
Quotation Mark&quot;&#x22;"
Apostrophe&apos;&#x27;'

Mathematical Symbols

NameEntity NameEntity NumberSymbolAction
Plus&plus;&#x2B;+
Minus&minus;&#x2212;-
Multiplication&times;&#xD7;×
Division&divide;&#xF7;÷
Equals&equals;&#x3D;=
Not Equal&ne;&#x2260;≠
Less Than or Equal&le;&#x2264;≤
Greater Than or Equal&ge;&#x2265;≥
Infinity&infin;&#x221E;∞
Square Root&radic;&#x221A;√
Pi&pi;&#x3C0;π
Degree&deg;&#xB0;°

Currency Symbols

NameEntity NameEntity NumberSymbolAction
Dollar&dollar;&#x24;$
Euro&euro;&#x20AC;€
Pound&pound;&#xA3;£
Yen&yen;&#xA5;¥
Cent&cent;&#xA2;¢
Indian Rupee&inr;&#x20B9;₹
Russian Ruble&rub;&#x20BD;₽

Arrows

NameEntity NameEntity NumberSymbolAction
Left Arrow&larr;&#x2190;←
Up Arrow&uarr;&#x2191;↑
Right Arrow&rarr;&#x2192;→
Down Arrow&darr;&#x2193;↓
Left-Right Arrow&harr;&#x2194;↔
Up-Down Arrow&varr;&#x2195;↕

Greek Letters

NameEntity NameEntity NumberSymbolAction
Alpha&alpha;&#x3B1;α
Beta&beta;&#x3B2;β
Gamma&gamma;&#x3B3;γ
Delta&delta;&#x3B4;δ
Epsilon&epsilon;&#x3B5;ε

Symbol Usage Best Practices

Do's:

  • Use named entities when available (more readable)
  • Use numeric entities for obscure characters
  • Test symbols in different browsers
  • Consider accessibility (provide alt text if needed)
  • Use UTF-8 character encoding in your HTML
  • Escape reserved HTML characters (<, >, &, etc.)

Don'ts:

  • Don't copy-paste symbols directly (use entities)
  • Avoid overusing decorative symbols
  • Don't use symbols for critical interface elements
  • Avoid mixing symbol types unnecessarily
  • Don't forget to declare UTF-8 charset
  • Avoid using symbols that may not render consistently

Try Our HTML Symbols Editor

Experiment with HTML symbols in our interactive editor:

  • Test different symbol formats
  • See how symbols render in real-time
  • Try combining symbols with text
  • Experiment with mathematical notation
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
  <!-- Common symbols -->
  <p>&copy; &reg; &trade;</p>
  
  <!-- Currency -->
  <p>&euro; &pound; &yen;</p>
  
  <!-- Math -->
  <p>&pi; &radic; &infin;</p>
  
  <!-- Arrows -->
  <p>&larr; &uarr; &rarr; &darr;</p>
</body>
</html>
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