How to copy a special character
- Search for a symbol by name, such as check, euro or squared, or open a group like Arrows or Maths.
- Click a symbol to copy it. Its name, Unicode code point and HTML code appear below the grid.
- Paste it where you need it. Each symbol you click is also added to Your characters, so you can collect several and copy them together.
Which symbol to use
- Check marks: ✓ is a plain text symbol that takes the colour of your text. ✅ is an emoji and shows in colour.
- Multiplication: use × rather than the letter x in prices and dimensions (3 × 4 m). Use ÷ for division in plain text.
- Dashes: the en dash (–) joins ranges such as 9–5 or pages 10–12. The hyphen (-) joins words.
- Primes: ′ and ″ are the correct marks for feet and inches or minutes and seconds (5′ 11″), not straight quotes.
Superscripts, subscripts and fractions
Unicode has ready-made characters for squared (²), cubed (³) and the other digits, plus subscripts for chemical formulas such as H₂O and CO₂. They’re useful where you can’t format text, such as a social media post or a filename. Common fractions like ½, ¼ and ¾ also have single characters, and the fraction slash (⁄) can build others.
For emojis, use the emoji picker. For a blank or invisible character, see invisible character.