HTML Symbols

What are HTML Symbols?

HTML symbols are special characters that cannot be typed directly on a keyboard, such as mathematical symbols, Greek letters, arrows, and other special characters. These symbols are represented using HTML entities (entity names or entity numbers) and are useful for mathematical expressions, scientific notation, and special characters.

Mathematical Symbols

Common mathematical symbols:

Greek Letters

Common Greek letters used in mathematics and science:

<p>Alpha: &alpha; (&#945;)</p>
<p>Beta: &beta; (&#946;)</p>
<p>Gamma: &gamma; (&#947;)</p>
<p>Delta: &delta; (&#948;)</p>
<p>Pi: &pi; (&#960;)</p>
<p>Omega: &Omega; (&#937;)</p>

Arrows

Common arrow symbols:

<p>Left arrow: &larr; (&#8592;)</p>
<p>Right arrow: &rarr; (&#8594;)</p>
<p>Up arrow: &uarr; (&#8593;)</p>
<p>Down arrow: &darr; (&#8595;)</p>
<p>Double arrow: &hArr; (&#8660;)</p>

Other Symbols

Other common symbols:

<p>Degree: &deg; (&#176;) - 25&deg;C</p>
<p>Section: &sect; (&#167;)</p>
<p>Paragraph: &para; (&#182;)</p>
<p>Bullet: &bull; (&#8226;)</p>
<p>Ellipsis: &hellip; (&#8230;)</p>

Complete Example

<h2>Mathematical Expressions</h2>
<p>The area of a circle: <var>A</var> = &pi;<var>r</var><sup>2</sup></p>
<p>Euler's formula: e<sup><var>i&pi;</var></sup> = -1</p>
<p>Inequality: <var>x</var> &le; 10 &and; <var>x</var> &ge; 0</p>
<p>Temperature: 25&deg;C &rarr; 77&deg;F</p>

Best Practices

• Use entity names when available: Easier to read and remember
• Use entity numbers as fallback: Works in all browsers
• Test display: Ensure symbols display correctly across browsers
• Consider accessibility: Some symbols may need alternative text
• Use UTF-8 encoding: UTF-8 supports many symbols directly