In web development, special symbols often need to be displayed within HTML content. These symbols include mathematical operators, currency symbols, arrows, and various other special characters. HTML symbol entities allow you to include these symbols in your web pages in a way that ensures they are rendered correctly across all browsers. This guide will explore HTML symbol entities and provide a comprehensive list for your reference.
What are HTML Symbol Entities?
HTML symbol entities are specific codes that represent special symbols in HTML. These entities ensure that characters which are not readily available on a keyboard or could be misinterpreted by the HTML parser are displayed correctly.
Basic Syntax of HTML Symbol Entities:
- Named Entities:
&entity_name; - Numeric Entities:
&#entity_number; - Hexadecimal Entities:
ntity_number;
Common HTML Symbol Entities:
Here are some common categories of HTML symbol entities along with examples:
Currency Symbols:
| Character | Entity Name | Numeric | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| $ | $ | $ | $ |
| € | € | € | € |
| £ | £ | £ | £ |
| ¥ | ¥ | ¥ | ¥ |
| ¢ | ¢ | ¢ | ¢ |
Mathematical Symbols:
| Character | Entity Name | Numeric | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| + | + | + | + |
| − | − | − | − |
| × | × | × | × |
| ÷ | ÷ | ÷ | ÷ |
| ± | ± | ± | ± |
| √ | √ | √ | √ |
| ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ |
| ≈ | ≈ | ≈ | ≈ |
| ≠ | ≠ | ≠ | ≠ |
| ≤ | ≤ | ≤ | ≤ |
| ≥ | ≥ | ≥ | ≥ |
Arrows:
| Character | Entity Name | Numeric | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| ← | ← | ← | ← |
| ↑ | ↑ | ↑ | ↑ |
| → | → | → | → |
| ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ |
| ↔ | ↔ | ↔ | ↔ |
| ↵ | ↵ | ↵ | ↵ |
| ⇐ | ⇐ | ⇐ | ⇐ |
| ⇑ | ⇑ | ⇑ | ⇑ |
| ⇒ | ⇒ | ⇒ | ⇒ |
| ⇓ | ⇓ | ⇓ | ⇓ |
| ⇔ | ⇔ | ⇔ | ⇔ |
Miscellaneous Symbols:
| Character | Entity Name | Numeric | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| © | © | © | © |
| ® | ® | ® | ® |
| ™ | ™ | ™ | ™ |
| § | § | § | § |
| ¶ | ¶ | ¶ | ¶ |
| • | • | • | • |
| … | … | … | … |
| ‰ | ‰ | ‰ | ‰ |
| ′ | ′ | ′ | ′ |
| ″ | ″ | ″ | ″ |
Greek Letters:
| Character | Entity Name | Numeric | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| α | α | α | α |
| β | β | β | β |
| γ | γ | γ | γ |
| δ | δ | δ | δ |
| ε | ε | ε | ε |
| ζ | ζ | ζ | ζ |
| η | η | η | η |
| θ | θ | θ | θ |
| ι | ι | ι | ι |
| κ | κ | κ | κ |
| λ | λ | λ | λ |
| μ | μ | μ | μ |
| ν | ν | ν | ν |
| ξ | ξ | ξ | ξ |
| ο | ο | ο | ο |
| π | π | π | π |
| ρ | ρ | ρ | ρ |
| σ | σ | σ | σ |
| τ | τ | τ | τ |
| υ | υ | υ | υ |
| φ | φ | φ | φ |
| χ | χ | χ | χ |
| ψ | ψ | ψ | ψ |
| ω | ω | ω | ω |
Punctuation Marks:
| Character | Entity Name | Numeric | Hexadecimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| “ | " | " | " |
| ‘ | ' | ' | ' |
| < | < | < | < |
| > | > | > | > |
| & | & | & | & |
| ¡ | ¡ | ¡ | ¡ |
| ¿ | ¿ | ¿ | ¿ |
| ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ |
| – | – | – | – |
| — | — | — | — |
| ‘ | ‘ | ‘ | ‘ |
| ’ | ’ | ’ | ’ |
| “ | “ | “ | “ |
| ” | ” | ” | ” |
| ‹ | ‹ | ‹ | ‹ |
| › | › | › | › |
Using HTML Symbol Entities in Context:
HTML symbol entities are essential for displaying special characters that might otherwise be interpreted as HTML code. For example, to show an HTML tag in text, you would use < and > for the angle brackets.
Example in a Code Context:
<p>To display an HTML tag, use <tag> format.</p>
In this example, the less than < and greater than > symbols are correctly displayed as text rather than being interpreted as HTML tags.
Conclusion:
HTML symbol entities are a fundamental aspect of web development, ensuring that special characters are rendered correctly in your web pages. By using the appropriate entities, you can include a wide range of symbols in your content, enhancing readability and user experience. Keep this guide handy as a reference for incorporating HTML symbol entities into your projects, and start creating more robust and accurate web pages today.