Typography: marks, spaces, and rules
Hyphens and dashes, quotation marks, spaces, numeric signs, rules, and clear examples.
Marks, rules, and examples
Select a mark to copy it. Examples show the mark in context, while invisible characters use abbreviated labels.
| Mark | Name | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyphens, dashes, and minus These similar-looking marks have different jobs and should not be interchanged. | |||
U+002D | Hyphen-minus | Joins parts of a compound word without surrounding spaces. | well-known |
U+2013 | En dash | Marks a range, usually without spaces between the values. | pages 12–18 |
U+2014 | Em dash | Creates a strong break in a sentence; many English styles omit surrounding spaces. | A clear rule—used consistently—works. |
U+2212 | Minus sign | Use it in equations; it aligns with other mathematical operators. | 10 − 3 = 7 |
U+2026 | Ellipsis | A single typographic character rather than three separate periods. | To be continued… |
| Quotation marks and apostrophe Choose quotation marks for the text language and use a secondary style for nested quotations. | |||
U+00AB / U+00BB | Guillemets | Common in French, Russian, and several other typographic traditions. | «Bonjour» |
U+201E / U+201C | Low-high quotes | Used as primary or nested quotation marks in some European languages. | „Guten Tag“ |
U+201C / U+201D | Curly double quotes | The usual primary quotation marks in English prose. | “A short quote” |
U+2018 / U+2019 | Curly single quotes | Use for a quotation nested inside double quotation marks. | “He said ‘yes’” |
U+2019 | Typographic apostrophe | Use in contractions and possessives instead of a straight typewriter quote. | don’t |
| Spaces and invisible characters Invisible characters control spacing, line breaks, and how text stays together. | |||
U+0020 | Regular space | Separates words and allows a line break at that position. | two words |
U+00A0 | No-break space | Keeps related pieces of text together on the same line. | 10 km |
U+202F | Narrow no-break space | Compactly groups digits while preventing a line break. | 10 000 |
U+2009 | Thin space | Adds a small optical gap between characters. | 5 × 7 |
U+200B | Zero-width space Use carefully | Allows a hidden break inside a long string; it can interfere with search and text comparison. | longword |
U+00AD | Soft hyphen Use carefully | Shows a hyphen only when the word wraps; editor support can vary. | typography |
| Numbers, units, and notation Marks for dimensions, temperature, percentages, and numbering with appropriate spacing. | |||
U+00D7 | Multiplication sign | Use in equations and dimensions instead of the Latin letter x. | 1920 × 1080 |
U+00B7 | Middle dot | Marks multiplication or separates short inline items. | a · b |
U+00B0 | Degree sign | Set close to a number for angles; temperature units usually follow a space. | 90°; 25 °C |
U+0025 | Percent sign | In general English prose it is commonly set directly after the number. | 25% |
U+2116 | Numero sign | Used in some languages before a number, followed by a space. | № 12 |
U+00A7 | Section sign | Precedes a section number and should stay with it across line breaks. | § 5 |
Need a Unicode, HTML, or CSS code? Open the complete symbol table. For a technical catalogue, see Spaces and invisible characters.
Four marks that are often confused
- Compound word
- hyphenwell-known
- Numeric range
- en dash2024–2026
- Sentence break
- em dashA thought—then a pause
- Equation
- minus sign10 − 3 = 7
Continue working with text
Copy a symbol, convert markup, clean a fragment, or keep the result in the notebook.
- Encode HTML entities Turn special characters into safe HTML entities or decode them back.
- Convert Markdown to HTML Prepare HTML markup from a Markdown draft.
- Remove HTML tags Keep readable text and discard markup.
- Change text case Convert letters to upper or lower case.
- Open the online notebook Use copied symbols in a note stored locally in your browser.
Typography questions
What is the difference between a hyphen and a dash?
A hyphen joins parts of a word. An en dash usually marks a range, while an em dash creates a break inside a sentence.
Why use a no-break space?
It keeps related parts such as a number and its unit on the same line. This avoids awkward breaks in names, measurements, and short labels.
Can I copy the invisible characters?
Yes. The copy button places the exact Unicode character on the clipboard even when its width is zero or its appearance matches a regular space.
Do typography rules ever differ?
Yes. Language, house style, and publication format can change spacing and punctuation conventions. Pick one style and apply it consistently.