Web Writing HTML Entities Cheat Sheet
## Metadata
- Author: [[Lorelle on WordPress]]
- Full Title: Web Writing HTML Entities Cheat Sheet
- Category: #articles
- Summary: Over the years I’ve copied and saved HTML Character Entities that I use on a regular basis, and I thought I’d share my cheat sheet.
- URL: https://lorelle.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/web-writing-html-entities-cheat-sheet/
[](https://lorelle.wordpress.com/category/writing/)
Over the years I’ve copied and saved HTML Character Entities that I use on a regular basis, and I thought I’d share my cheat sheet.
These are important to me as a technical web publisher specializing in writing blogging and WordPress tutorials, so I’ve explained why and how I use them in the table below. They might not work for your needs, and they do not represent all of the HTML entities available, but they might inspire you to create your own cheat sheet. I’ve included a list of HTML Entities references at the bottom of the post to help you.
I keep this list in a text file in my constantly open text editor, [NoteTab Pro](http://notetab.com/). You may copy and paste these into a file in your favorite text editor, too. Do not put these in Word as it will probably mess them up.
Also note that these characters and symbols will look different on your site depending upon the font you are using.
| Category | Symbol | Entity | Description | Explanation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **WordPress** | | | | |
| | Wordpress | `Wordpress` | Wordpress | When I write about the lowercase p in Wordpress, because [WordPress forces an uppercase P](https://clarkwp.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/why-is-the-p-in-wordpress-important/), I need to create it manually. |
| **Web Specific** | | | | |
| | http:// | `http://` | Website Address | Used to publish an example website address and not have WordPress convert it into a link. |
| | . | `.` | Period (fullstop) | WordPress will sometimes convert a site title with dot com, such as [lorelle.wordpress.com](https://lorelle.wordpress.com/), into a website address when I don’t want to. It is rare and inconsistent. I add the fullstop period between the domain and the com to stop that. |
| | / | `/` | Solidus or figure slash (fraction) (/ is normal slash) | Used in website address, when I don’t want WordPress to convert it into an address for tutorials, I replace the slash with the HTML entity. |
| | \ | `\` | Reverse solidus (backslash) | When publishing articles on computer file structures or in code when I need WordPress ignore the backslash. |
| | @ | `@` | @ At symbol | To type out an email address that will not convert into a `mailto` email address. |
| **Coding and Programming** | | | | |
| | < | `< or <` | Less than | Used constantly for publishing code such as `<div>` so the browser and WordPress will not recognize it as HTML code. |
| | > | `> or >` | Greater than | Used rarely for publishing code in WordPress as the `<` symbol used in HTML, PHP, and other programming languages tells the browser and publishing platform that code is starting. Without that symbol before it, wrapped around a specific element of code, the browser ignores the `>`. I will write ``<div>``, saving a few keystrokes. |
| | & | `&` | Ampersand | WordPress converts most ampersands into this HTML entity automatically, but when [publishing code in WordPress](http://www.blogherald.com/2007/07/16/writing-and-publishing-code-in-your-wordpress-blog-posts/) for technical articles and tutorials, I need to use it to ensure the code or HTML entity is readable, as I’ve done throughout this article. |
| | | ` ` | Non-breaking space | Used often to force a space, especially with writing code or using it within an HTML `div` tag. |
| | " | `"` | Straight Quote Mark | When [publishing code in WordPress](http://www.blogherald.com/2007/07/16/writing-and-publishing-code-in-your-wordpress-blog-posts/), I need to convert curly quote marks into straight quote. |
| | ' | `'` | Straight Apostrophe | Used when publishing code to make straight apostrophes not curly ones. |
| | “ | `“ or “` | Curly Quote Mark Left or Opening | Once in a while a sequence of quotes will confuse WordPress and the automatic curling of quote marks, leaving two openings and no closing or a closing with no opening quote mark. This forces them to line up right. |
| | ” | `” or ”` | Curly Quote Mark Right or Closing | “ |
| | \* | `*` | Asterisk | When publishing CSS code, asterisks are used in CSS comments. |
| | : | `:` | Colon | Used for publishing code, especially in website addresses I wish WordPress to not convert into a link. |
| | # | `#` | Number sign # | Used for publishing code sometimes, especially when publishing HTML entities and jump link examples. |
| | ? | `?` | Question mark | Used for publishing code sometimes, especially when publishing PHP code for techniques. |
| | ; | `;` | Semi-colon | “ |
| | , | `,` | Comma | “ |
| | = | `=` | Equals sign | “ |
| | ( | `(` | Left parenthesis ( | “ |
| | ) | `)` | Right parenthesis ) | “ |
| | [ | `[` | Left square bracket [ | Used for publishing code, specifically WordPress shortcodes. |
| | ] | `]` | Right square bracket ] | “ |
| **Numbers and Money Symbols** | | | | |
| | ‰ | `‰` | % | |
| | $ | `$` | Dollar sign | |
| | ¢ | `¢` | Cent sign ¢ | There is no key on your keyboard for the cents sign. |
| | + | `+` | Plus sign | |
| | × | `× or ×` | Multiplication | |
| | ÷ | `÷ or ÷` | Divide | |
| | % | `%` | Percent sign | |
| | π | `π` | Pi | |
| | ° | `°` | Degree sign ° | |
| | ˜ | `˜ or ˜` | Tilde ~ | |
| | ≈ | `≈ or ≈` | Almost equal ≈ | |
| | ≠ | `≠ or ≠` | Not equal | |
| | ≡ | `≡ or ≡` | Equivalent | |
| | ≤ | `≤ or ≤` | Less or equal | |
| | ≥ | `≥ or ≥` | Greater or equal | |
| **Legal Symbols** | | | | |
| | © | `©` | Copyright sign | |
| | ® | `®` | Registered trademark sign | |
| | § | `§` | Section sign | |
| | ™ | `™ or ™` | Trademark sign | |
| **Writing** | | | | |
| | ! | `!` | Exclamation mark | |
| | « | `« or «` | Double Arrow or Double Angle Quotation Mark (Left) | Used often in the HTML `title` in the `head` of a WordPress site as part of the default for the `[wp-title()](http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_title)` template tag in WordPress Themes. When [copying web page links with the CoLT Firefox Extension](https://lorelle.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/blog-exercises-speed-blogging-with-colt/), I do a search and replace for this symbol in my text editor to replace it with a dash for link lists. |
| | » | `» or »` | Double Arrow or Double Angle Quotation Mark (Right) | |
| | - | `-` | Hyphen | |
| | – | `–` | En dash | |
| | — | `—` | Em dash — | |
| **Graphic Symbols and Characters** | | | | |
| | ♥ | `♥` | Heart symbol | Used for fun. |
| | • | `•` | Bullet | Used between contact information or lists of items in a sentence form rather than an HTML list in [WordPress Text Widgets](https://lorelle.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/wordpress-tips-exploring-the-wordpress-text-widget/). |
| | · | `· or ·` | Middle Dot | “ |
| | ∞ | `∞∞` | Infinity | “ |
| | ◊ | `◊ or ◊` | Lozenge or Open Diamond | “ |
| | | ` ` | Space | Like the non-breaking space, this is another way to force a space. |
| | | `  or  ` | Thin space | Like space and non-breaking space, this creates a thinner, narrower space between words. |
| | ← | `← or ←` | Left arrow | Used rarely for pointing in tutorials and sometimes in a [WordPress Text Widgets](https://lorelle.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/wordpress-tips-exploring-the-wordpress-text-widget/). |
| | ↑ | `↑ or ↑` | Up arrow | " |
| | → | `→ or →` | Right arrow | " |
| | ↓ | `↓ or ↓` | Down arrow | " |
| **Foreign** | | | | |
| | à | `à or à` | à | |
| | á | `á or á` | á | |
| | ã | `ã or ã` | ã | |
| | ä | `ä or ä` | ä | |
| | â | `â or â` | â | |
| | æ | `æ or æ` | æ | |
| | ç | `ç or ç` | ç | |
| | è | `è or è` | è | |
| | é | `é or é` | é | |
| | ê | `ê or ê` | ê | |
| | ë | `ë or ë` | ë | |
| | ñ | `ñ or ñ` | ñ | |
| | ö | `ö` | Umlout ö | |
| | ¡ | `¡` | Inverted exclamation ¡ | |
| | ¿ | `¿` | Inverted question ¿ | |
| | ¥ | `¥` | Yen symbol ¥ | |
| | € | `€` | Euro symbol € | |
| | £ | `£` | Pound sterling £ | |
##### How to Use HTML Character Entities in WordPress
To uses these HTML Entities in posts, Pages, and Text Widgets, [use the WordPress Text Editor not the Visual Editor](http://lorelleteaches.com/2012/10/25/how-to-add-html-in-a-wordpress-blog-post/) to copy and paste them into place.
Publishing code in your WordPress posts and Pages is a little more complex. On WordPress.com and if you are using the [Jetpack WordPress Plugin](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/jetpack/), or another syntax highlighting WordPress Plugin, you may use the `[sourcecode language="html"]` shortcode to highlight a block of code.
To publish code within a sentence such as `<a href="http://lorelle.wordpress.com/" title="Lorelle on WordPress.">example of a link</a>`, I use the `<code>` HTML tag around the code and it really looks like this:
Ask you can see, one of the most challenging publishing tasks is to publish such code to help others use such code in their posts, explained in the articles below.
##### HTML Character Entities Lists
There are many lists of HTML Character Entities on the web. I've included in this list some of the ones I find most helpful, with the characters I use in my own web writing.
, Web Writing HTML Entities Cheat Sheet, Lorelle on WordPress, 01gnmczes494y8d53hr483dmpr.