Appendix: Common HTML Character Codes

Overview

Character codes are used to display symbols in HTML that are either unavailable on a standard keyboard, or would interfere with the normal HTML code. For example:

• Greater than or less than symbols (> or <) are part of HTML tags.
• The inverted question mark (¿) used in Spanish cannot be written on a standard English keyboard.

How to Use Character Codes

Character codes must be applied in the HTML editor in the place of the symbol you’re trying to create. For many symbols, there are two code options: one using numbers, and another using a text abbreviation. Either option will work.

Every character code must start with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;). Number codes also include a number sign (#) after the ampersand. The format looks like this:

• Character codes: &char_name;
• Number codes: &#char_number;

See the quick reference table below for examples.

Quick Reference Table

There is an extensive list of HTML character codes. The table below lists some of the more common ones. You can also view a detailed list of character codes.

When writing in another language, you may require letters that are not found in the English alphabet. The table below includes common letters found in Spanish. The link to a detailed list of character codes includes more options. For these letters, the text abbreviation is case-sensitive.