Spade Symbol ♠ Copy and Paste

Copy the Spade Symbols

Highlight and copy the spade symbol you need:

Black spade: ♠

White spade: ♤

Heavy black spade: ♠

Unicode and Technical Details

• Black spade suit ♠: U+2660 — HTML: ♠ or ♠
• White spade suit ♤: U+2664 — HTML: ♤

What Does the Spade Symbol Mean?

In Playing Cards

The spade ♠ is the highest-ranking suit in many card games, including Bridge, Spades, and Poker. In French-suited playing cards (the standard deck used worldwide), spades are one of four suits alongside hearts ♥, diamonds ♦, and clubs ♣. The spade is always black and is often associated with:

• Military power — historically represented the nobility and warrior class
• Death and endings — in tarot and cartomancy, spades can represent challenges or endings
• Winter — the spade suit is associated with the winter season in some traditions
• The element of air — in esoteric correspondences, spades are linked to intellect and communication

Etymology

The word "spade" comes from the Italian word "spada" meaning "sword." The original Italian and Spanish card decks used actual sword imagery, which evolved into the pointed spade shape we know today. The connection to swords explains the military associations of the suit.

In the Vietnam War

U.S. soldiers used the ace of spades as a psychological warfare tool, leaving the card on the bodies of fallen enemy soldiers. The Viet Cong reportedly associated the ace of spades with death, and American troops exploited this superstition. The practice was controversial but became one of the most iconic images of the conflict.

The Spade in Popular Culture

• Alice in Wonderland — the Queen of Hearts famously commands "Off with their heads!" but the playing card soldiers include all four suits
• Casino and gambling — the spade is a universal symbol for poker rooms and casinos
• Motorcycle culture — the "death head" spade design appears frequently in biker imagery
• Music — the band Motörhead used a spade-inspired war pig logo; Ace of Spades is their most famous song
• Fashion — spade symbols appear in streetwear, tattoo art, and luxury branding
• Military insignia — various military units have used the spade as an identifying mark

How to Type the Spade Symbol

Windows

• Hold Alt and type 6 on the numeric keypad for ♠
• Or use Character Map: search for "spade"
• In Microsoft Word, type 2660 then press Alt+X

Mac

• Open Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space)
• Search for "spade" and double-click to insert

iPhone

• Switch to the emoji keyboard and search "spade"
• The spade appears in the symbols category

Android

• Switch to the symbols or emoji keyboard
• Look for the spade in the card suit section

HTML

Use the named entity ♠ or the numeric entity ♠

The Ace of Spades

The ace of spades holds special significance beyond the other cards in the deck:

• Historically, it carried the tax stamp proving duty had been paid on the deck
• It is traditionally the most ornate card in the deck, with elaborate designs
• In many games, the ace of spades is the highest or most valuable card
• The "death card" reputation from the Vietnam War made it iconic in American culture
• The ace of spades is the logo of the upscale Ace of Spades champagne brand

Spade in Card Games

• Spades — a trick-taking card game where spades are always trump
• Bridge — spades is the second-highest ranking suit (after no trump)
• Poker — all suits are equal, but spades are often considered the "coolest" suit
• Hearts — the queen of spades (the "Black Lady") is worth 13 penalty points — the most dangerous card in the game

Related Symbols

Need other card suit or game symbols? See our guides for Diamond ♦, Heart ♥, and Trident Ψ.