Keyboard Symbols Guide — What Every Symbol Is Called
You look at your keyboard every day. But do you actually know what all those symbols are called? The squiggly line, the weird S thing, the backwards P? They all have names. Let me decode them for you.
Basic Punctuation Symbols
Let's start with the ones everyone knows but maybe can't name properly:
| . | Period / Full Stop / Dot |
| , | Comma |
| ; | Semicolon |
| : | Colon |
| ! | Exclamation Mark / Bang |
| ? | Question Mark |
Quote Marks and Apostrophes
These cause more confusion than they should:
| ' | Apostrophe / Single Quote |
| " | Quotation Mark / Double Quote |
| ` | Backtick / Grave Accent |
The Weird Ones
Now we get to the symbols most people can't name:
| ~ | Tilde |
| ` | Backtick / Grave Accent |
| @ | At Sign / At Symbol |
| # | Hash / Pound / Number Sign / Octothorpe |
| $ | Dollar Sign |
| % | Percent Sign |
| ^ | Caret / Circumflex |
| & | Ampersand |
| * | Asterisk / Star |
| _ | Underscore |
| - | Hyphen / Minus / Dash |
| = | Equals Sign |
Bracket Types
There are multiple types of brackets, each with different uses:
| ( ) | Parentheses / Round Brackets |
| [ ] | Square Brackets / Brackets |
| { } | Curly Braces / Braces |
| < > | Angle Brackets / Less Than / Greater Than |
Slash Types
Yes, there are multiple slash types, and they mean different things:
| / | Forward Slash / Slash |
| \ | Backslash |
The Pipe and Other Vertical Lines
The vertical bar has a name you might not expect:
| | | Pipe / Vertical Bar |
| ¦ | Broken Bar |
Why This Matters
Knowing symbol names helps you:
- Communicate clearly when typing instructions
- Search for symbols online
- Understand keyboard shortcuts
- Debug formatting issues
Need More Symbols?
Your keyboard is just the beginning. We've got thousands more symbols you can copy and paste:
- Arrow Symbols — directional arrows
- Star Symbols — all star variations
- Heart Symbols — heart text symbols
- Math Symbols — mathematical operators
- Currency Symbols — money symbols worldwide
The Bottom Line
Your keyboard has about 50 symbols on it. Now you know their names. The tilde (~), the caret (^), the ampersand (&) — these aren't mysterious squiggles anymore. They're tools with names and purposes.
Next time someone asks "what's that symbol called?" you'll have the answer.