HTML Symbols
What Are HTML Symbols?
HTML symbols are basically special codes that represent characters which cannot easily be typed out on a standard keyboard. Think of them as some short of shortcuts to display characters such as ©, €, or &. Instead of just typing these symbols directly into your HTML code, you use something called an HTML entity. These entities are a bit like secret codes each symbol has a unique one.
For example:
©will give you the copyright symbol (©).&will display the ampersand (&).
Why Should You Use HTML Symbols?
Great question! You’ll find HTML symbols super useful for a few reasons:
- Special Characters: Some characters, like
<and>, are used in HTML for other things, like defining tags. If you type them directly into the code, things can get messed up. So, HTML entities are the way to go. - Symbols You Can’t Type: Things like emojis or mathematical signs might not be available on your keyboard, but HTML symbols can easily represent them.
- Consistency Across Browsers: Different browsers handle character encoding differently, but by using HTML entities, you make sure your symbols show up correctly, no matter what browser or device your visitors are using.
How Do HTML Symbols Work?
So how exactly do these symbols work? It’s pretty straightforward. HTML symbols are either named entities or numeric entities.
- Named Entities: These are more readable and are often used for well-known characters.
- Example:
©= ©
- Example:
- Numeric Entities: These use numbers to represent characters. You can use either decimal or hexadecimal values.
- Decimal example:
©= © - Hexadecimal example:
©= ©
- Decimal example:
Common HTML Symbols
Here are a few of the most commonly used HTML symbols. You’ll likely use them often, so get familiar with these codes:
- © (Copyright symbol):
- Named entity:
© - Numeric entity:
©or©
- Named entity:
- ® (Registered trademark symbol):
- Named entity:
® - Numeric entity:
®or®
- Named entity:
- € (Euro symbol):
- Named entity:
€ - Numeric entity:
€or€
- Named entity:
- £ (Pound sterling symbol):
- Named entity:
£ - Numeric entity:
£or£
- Named entity:
- > (Greater-than symbol):
- Named entity:
> - Numeric entity:
>or>
- Named entity:
- < (Less-than symbol):
- Named entity:
< - Numeric entity:
<or<
- Named entity:
- & (Ampersand symbol):
- Named entity:
& - Numeric entity:
&or&
- Named entity:
- → (Right arrow):
- Named entity:
→ - Numeric entity:
→or→
- Named entity:
- ≠ (Not equal sign):
- Named entity:
≠ - Numeric entity:
≠or≠
- Named entity:
- ± (Plus-minus symbol):
- Named entity:
± - Numeric entity:
±or±
- Named entity:
How to Use HTML Symbols
To use these HTML symbols on your webpage, just drop the corresponding entity code directly into your HTML file. Here’s an example:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>HTML Symbols Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
<p>The copyright symbol is written as © in HTML.</p>
<p>Learn more about HTML < and > symbols.</p>
<p>€ 50 is equal to 50 €.</p>
<p>Math expression: 5 ± 2 = 7 or 3</p>
</body>
</html>
In this example:
- The copyright symbol
©is added with©. - The less-than and greater-than symbols are added with
<and>. - The Euro symbol is added using
€. - The plus-minus symbol is added with
±.
Special Considerations
- Reserved Characters: Characters like
<,>, and&are special in HTML and used for coding purposes. If you want to display these characters, you need to use the appropriate HTML entities (<,>,&, etc.). - Cross-Browser Compatibility: Using HTML entities is a great way to ensure your symbols display correctly across all browsers. Even though modern browsers support Unicode, entities give you more control.
- Character Encoding: Make sure your HTML file is set to use UTF-8 encoding (usually done in the
<meta charset="UTF-8">tag). This ensures that all your special characters, like those weird symbols, show up correctly.
Wrapping Up
HTML symbols are just simple but essential tool for a web development. They help you include special characters whether it is the copyright symbol, currency signs, or other unique characters without any fuss. Using HTML entities ensures that your symbols will appear correctly across the different devices and browsers, and it keeps your code clean and free of errors.