Special characters - Microsoft Style Guide (2024)

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1. ´ Acute Accent (Not Accent Acute): An acute accent is a diacritical mark used in various languages to indicate stress, tone, or pitch. It appears above a vowel, such as in the word "résumé."

2. & Ampersand: The ampersand is a logogram representing the word "and." It's a staple in typography, often used in company names, titles, and abbreviations.

3. < > Angle Brackets: Angle brackets, also known as "chevrons," have applications in coding, mathematics, and markup languages like HTML. They enclose tags or elements.

4. ’ Apostrophe (Publishing Character): The apostrophe is used for contractions and possessives. It appears as a right-leaning single closing quotation mark.

5. ' Apostrophe (Customer-Typed Text): In customer-typed text, the straight apostrophe is commonly used for ease of input. It's essential to differentiate between typographic conventions and user-generated content.

6. * Asterisk:** The asterisk is a versatile symbol used for footnotes, corrections, and to highlight specific information. It's also commonly associated with multiplication in mathematical contexts.

7. @ At Sign: The at sign is a fundamental symbol in email addresses and social media handles.

8. \ Backslash: The backslash is a typographic element used in computing and programming to denote directories and file paths.

9. { } Braces (Not Curly Brackets): Braces are used in programming and markup languages to group elements. It's crucial to distinguish them from curly brackets.

10. [ ] Brackets: Brackets serve to enclose and organize content, often used in citations or to clarify and emphasize information.

11. ^ Caret, Circumflex (Not Accent Circumflex): The caret or circumflex accent is a diacritic used in various languages and symbols.

12. ¢ Cent Sign: The cent sign represents one cent and is used in currency contexts.

13. « » Chevrons, Opening and Closing: Chevrons, or angle brackets, are used for quotations, translations, or to highlight specific text.

14. Microsoft Term (Seldom Used, Especially in Documentation): Microsoft term refers to specific characters, including chevrons, used in Word documents for functions like mail merge.

15. © Copyright Symbol: The copyright symbol indicates intellectual property rights.

16. † Dagger: The dagger is a typographic symbol used for footnotes or references.

17. ° Degree Symbol: The degree symbol represents degrees of temperature or angles.

18. ÷ Division Sign: The division sign is used in mathematical expressions.

19. $ Dollar Sign: The dollar sign signifies currency in the United States and other countries.

20. [[ ]] Double Brackets: Double brackets are used for various purposes, including in programming and markup languages for arrays or nested structures.

21. … Ellipsis (Singular), Ellipses (Plural): The ellipsis is used to indicate omitted text or a pause in speech.

22. — Em Dash: The em dash is a long dash used to indicate a break in thought or emphasize information.

23. – En Dash: The en dash is a shorter dash used for ranges or connections.

24. = Equal Sign (Not Equals Sign): The equal sign denotes equality in mathematical expressions.

25. € Euro Symbol: The euro symbol represents the currency of the European Union.

26. ! Exclamation Point (Not Exclamation Mark): The exclamation point is used to express strong emotion or emphasis.

27. ` Grave Accent (Not Accent Grave): The grave accent is a diacritic with various uses in different languages.

28. > Greater Than Sign: The greater than sign is used in mathematical expressions and programming.

29. ≥ Greater Than or Equal To Sign: This symbol indicates that one value is greater than or equal to another.

30. - Hyphen: The hyphen is used to join words or parts of words.

31. " Inch Mark: The inch mark signifies inches in measurement.

32. < Less Than Sign: The less than sign is used in mathematical expressions and programming.

33. ≤ Less Than or Equal To Sign: This symbol indicates that one value is less than or equal to another.

34. – Minus Sign (Use En Dash): The minus sign represents subtraction, and the en dash can be used for this purpose in certain contexts.

35. × Multiplication Sign: The multiplication sign denotes multiplication in mathematical expressions.

36. ≠ Not Equal To: This symbol indicates that two values are not equal.

37. # Number Sign or Hashtag: The number sign is used in various contexts, including social media as a hashtag.

38. ¶ Paragraph Mark: The paragraph mark indicates a new paragraph.

39. ( ) Parentheses: Parentheses are used to enclose supplementary information or to group elements.

40. % Percent: The percent sign represents a percentage.

41. π Pi: Pi is a mathematical constant representing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

42. | Pipe, Vertical Bar, or OR Logical Operator: The vertical bar has multiple uses, including as a logical operator in programming.

43. + Plus Sign: The plus sign denotes addition in mathematical expressions.

44. ± Plus or Minus Sign: This symbol indicates a range of values.

45. ? Question Mark: The question mark is used to indicate a query or uncertainty.

46. “ ” Quotation Marks (Not Quotes or Quote Marks): Quotation marks are used to enclose direct speech or quotations.

47. " " Straight Quotation Marks (Not Quotes or Quote Marks): Straight quotation marks are an alternative to curly quotation marks.

48. ‘ ’ Single Quotation Marks or Single Curly Quotation Marks: Single quotation marks are used for quotes within quotes or for stylistic purposes.

49. ' ' Single Straight Quotation Marks: Single straight quotation marks are another form of single quotation marks.

50. ® Registered Trademark Symbol: The registered trademark symbol indicates a registered trademark.

51. § Section/Slash (Not Virgule): The section symbol has legal and editorial uses.

52. ~ Tilde: The tilde has various applications, often used in URLs or to signify approximation.

53. ™ Trademark Symbol: The trademark symbol indicates a trademark.

54. _ Underscore: The underscore is used for various purposes, including in file names or coding conventions.

These typographic conventions are crucial for clear and consistent communication, whether in writing, coding, or design. Understanding and applying them appropriately enhance the readability and precision of text and symbols in diverse contexts.