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HTML Entity & Character Finder

Find the arrow, currency sign, dash or symbol you need, and get the HTML entity, number, CSS escape and JavaScript code for it.

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HTML Entity & Character Finder at a glanceIllustration: 1, A character; 2, processed in your browser; 3, Entity + codes.HTML Entity & Character Finder1A character</>3Entity + codes2In yourbrowser
1 A character 2 processed on your device 3 Entity + codes

HTML Entity & Character Finder

Find a character

    Selected character

    WhereCode

    Encode or decode text

    Encoded
    Decoded

    01

    What it does

    Finds special characters by name and gives their HTML entity, code point and CSS escape, and encodes or decodes text.

    • Over 200 characters in 8 groups
    • Search by name, entity or the character
    • HTML named and numeric, CSS, JavaScript and URL forms
    • Encode or decode a whole block of text

    02

    Private by design

    Everything happens in your browser. Nothing you type, paste or upload is sent anywhere, and it keeps working offline once the page has loaded.

    03

    What you get

    Entities, escapes and encoded text, with a Copy and a Download button on every result.

    • HTML
    • Unicode
    • Typography

    Why it matters

    Good typography uses the right characters: curly quotes instead of straight ones, en dashes for ranges (9–5), non-breaking spaces so '£5' doesn't split across lines. They're hard to type and easy to break when copied between systems.

    Developers need the escaped forms: an entity for HTML, a backslash escape for CSS content, a \u code for JavaScript. This finder gives all of them for each character, and decodes the &amp; soup that CMS exports often contain.

    How it works

    1. InputA name, entity or the character itself
    2. In your browserLooked up in a table of 300+ characters
    3. OutputNamed, decimal and hex entities, CSS and JS escapes

    Where it fits in a designer's workflow

    1. Plan
    2. Design
    3. Build
    4. Test
    5. Launch
    Typing symbols and escaping text for HTML.

    By the numbers

    The 309 characters in this tool, by groupAccented letters: 71 (71 with a name); Maths: 60 (60 with a name); Greek: 52 (52 with a name); Symbols: 46 (19 with a name); Punctuation and typography: 37 (35 with a name); Arrows: 18 (15 with a name); Currency: 13 (5 with a name); Spaces and invisible: 12 (10 with a name)Accented letters71 (71 with a name)Maths60 (60 with a name)Greek52 (52 with a name)Symbols46 (19 with a name)Punctuation and typography37 (35 with a name)Arrows18 (15 with a name)Currency13 (5 with a name)Spaces and invisible12 (10 with a name)
    Counted from the tool's own table. Every character has a numeric reference (—); named entities (—) are easier to read but not every character has one. In UTF-8 pages you only have to escape & < > and quotes. Source: WHATWG HTML: named character references.
    Show the numbers as a table
    GroupCharactersWith a named entity
    Punctuation and typography3735
    Maths6060
    Spaces and invisible1210
    Currency135
    Symbols4619
    Accented letters7171
    Greek5252
    Arrows1815

    How to use it

    1. Search for a character by name, or browse a group.
    2. Press a character to see every way to write it.
    3. To convert a block of text, paste it in the encoder.
    4. Copy or download the result.

    FAQ

    Do I need entities if my page is UTF-8?

    Mostly not. You can type © directly. You must still escape &, < and > (and quotes inside attributes).

    What's a non-breaking space for?

    To keep things together on one line, such as '10 kg' or 'Mr Smith'. Use &nbsp; between them.

    Hyphen, en dash or em dash?

    A hyphen joins words (well-known), an en dash shows ranges (Monday–Friday), and an em dash marks a break in a sentence.

    How do I use a character in CSS content?

    Use the CSS escape, such as content: "\2192" for →, so the stylesheet stays ASCII-safe.

    Work with me

    Want a site that gets these right?

    I build fast, accessible websites and web apps that pass these checks from day one. Tell me about your project and I'll reply personally with honest next steps.

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