There are many symbols and characters that are not on your keyboard. Think of the euro sign €, the copyright symbol ©, arrows, hearts, and mathematical symbols. You can add all of them to your HTML pages using special codes called entities.
What Are HTML Symbol Entities?
To add a symbol that is not on your keyboard, you use an entity code. There are three ways to write them:
- Entity name – Like
©(easy to remember) - Decimal number – Like
© - Hexadecimal number – Like
©
All three methods will display the same symbol. Entity names are usually easier to remember, so we will focus on those.
Common HTML Symbols
Here are the most useful symbols you will use regularly:
| Symbol | Number | Entity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| © | ©
| ©
| Copyright |
| ® | ®
| ®
| Registered trademark |
| € | €
| €
| Euro sign |
| ™ | ™
| ™
| Trademark |
| ← | ←
| ←
| Left arrow |
| ↑ | ↑
| ↑
| Up arrow |
| → | →
| →
| Right arrow |
| ↓ | ↓
| ↓
| Down arrow |
| ♠ | ♠
| ♠
| Spade suit |
| ♣ | ♣
| ♣
| Club suit |
| ♥ | ♥
| ♥
| Heart suit |
| ♦ | ♦
| ♦
| Diamond suit |
Mathematical Symbols
These symbols are very useful for writing math equations on your web pages:
| Symbol | Number | Entity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ∀ | ∀
| ∀
| For all |
| ∂ | ∂
| ∂
| Partial differential |
| ∃ | ∃
| ∃
| There exists |
| ∅ | ∅
| ∅
| Empty set |
| ∇ | ∇
| ∇
| Nabla (del operator) |
| ∈ | ∈
| ∈
| Element of |
| ∉ | ∉
| ∉
| Not an element of |
| ∋ | ∋
| ∋
| Contains as member |
| ∏ | ∏
| ∏
| N-ary product |
| ∑ | ∑
| ∑
| N-ary summation |
Greek Letters
Greek letters are often used in math, science, and engineering:
| Symbol | Number | Entity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Α | Α
| Α
| Greek capital alpha |
| Β | Β
| Β
| Greek capital beta |
| Γ | Γ
| Γ
| Greek capital gamma |
| Δ | Δ
| Δ
| Greek capital delta |
| Ε | Ε
| Ε
| Greek capital epsilon |
| Ζ | Ζ
| Ζ
| Greek capital zeta |
| π | π
| π
| Greek small pi |
| θ | θ
| θ
| Greek small theta |
| Ω | Ω
| Ω
| Greek capital omega |
Arrows
Arrows are great for navigation, directions, and flowcharts:
| Symbol | Number | Entity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ← | ←
| ←
| Left arrow |
| ↑ | ↑
| ↑
| Up arrow |
| → | →
| →
| Right arrow |
| ↓ | ↓
| ↓
| Down arrow |
| ↔ | ↔
| ↔
| Left right arrow |
| ⇐ | ⇐
| ⇐
| Left double arrow |
| ⇑ | ⇑
| ⇑
| Up double arrow |
| ⇒ | ⇒
| ⇒
| Right double arrow |
| ⇓ | ⇓
| ⇓
| Down double arrow |
| ⇔ | ⇔
| ⇔
| Left right double arrow |
Card Suits and Game Symbols
Weather and Miscellaneous Symbols
Quick Summary
- Use HTML entities to display symbols not on your keyboard
- Three formats: entity name (©), decimal (©), hexadecimal (©)
- Entity names are easier to remember and read in code
- Common symbols: ©, ®, ™, €
- Arrows: ←, →, ↑, ↓
- Math symbols: ∀, ∂, ∃, ∑, ∏
- Greek letters: Α, Β, Γ, Δ, π, θ
- Card suits: ♠, ♣, ♥, ♦
What Just Happened? Let Me Explain
- You do not need to memorize all these codes. Just remember the ones you use often.
- When you need a symbol, search online for “HTML entity for [symbol name]”.
- Emojis (like ☀️ or ❄️) also work in modern HTML. You can copy and paste them directly.
- Not all symbols work in all browsers. Stick to common ones for safety.
- The entity names are case sensitive. © works, © does not.
Tip: In VS Code, you can type the entity name directly. Many editors will show a preview of the symbol. For example, type “♥” and you will see ♥.
HTML Symbols Reference
Here are the symbol categories you can explore further:
| Category | Examples | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | € £ ¥ ¢ ₿ ₣ | Money, prices, finance |
| Arrows | ← ↑ → ↓ ⇐ ⇒ | Navigation, direction, flowcharts |
| Math | ∑ ∏ √ ∞ ≠ ≈ | Equations, formulas, science |
| Greek | α β γ δ π θ Ω | Math, physics, engineering |
| Card suits | ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ | Games, gambling, designs |
| Weather | ☀️ ☁️ ☂️ ❄️ 🌊 | Weather forecasts, nature sites |
| Music | ♪ ♫ ♬ 𝄞 | Music websites, audio apps |