HTML Entities and Symbols

HTML entities let you show characters that are reserved in HTML or hard to type. An entity starts with & and ends with ;, for example &lt; displays the < sign.

Reserved Characters

  • &lt; displays <
  • &gt; displays >
  • &amp; displays &
  • &quot; displays a double quote
  • &nbsp; is a non-breaking space

Entities in Action

Named entities like &copy; are easy to remember. Numeric entities like &#8360; (the rupee sign) work for any Unicode character.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head><meta charset="UTF-8"><title>Entities</title></head>
<body>
  <p>Use the &lt;p&gt; tag for paragraphs.</p>
  <p>Tom &amp; Jerry</p>
  <p>&copy; 2026 &middot; &trade; &reg;</p>
  <p>Price: &pound;10, &euro;12, &#8360;3000</p>
  <p>Arrows: &larr; &rarr; &uarr; &darr;</p>
  <p>10&nbsp;kg stays together on one line.</p>
</body>
</html>

Emoji and UTF-8

With <meta charset="UTF-8"> you can type most symbols and emoji directly into your HTML. Entities are still required for <, > and & when they would otherwise be read as markup.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head><meta charset="UTF-8"><title>Emoji</title></head>
<body>
  <p>Coffee break ☕ and a rocket &#128640;</p>
</body>
</html>

Frequently asked questions

What does &nbsp; mean in HTML?

It is a non-breaking space. It adds a space that the browser will not collapse or wrap a line at.

How do I show the copyright symbol in HTML?

Use &copy; or type © directly if your page uses UTF-8.

Are HTML entities case sensitive?

Yes. &Agrave; and &agrave; produce different characters, so type them exactly.