HTML Entity for Superscript Four (⁴)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Aug 2025
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+2074
HTML Entity for superscript four (⁴) tutorial illustration

What You'll Learn

How to display the superscript four (⁴) in HTML using hex, decimal, and CSS entity methods. This character lives in the Superscripts and Subscripts Unicode block and is commonly used for exponents, fourth powers, and footnote markers.

⁴ has no named HTML entity (unlike ¹ ² ³), so you’ll use numeric references (⁴ or ⁴) or a CSS escape (\2074 in content).

⚡ Quick Reference — ⁴ Entity

Unicode U+2074

Superscripts & Subscripts block

Hex Code ⁴

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ⁴

Decimal reference

CSS Code \2074

Use in CSS content

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+2074
Hex code       ⁴
HTML code      ⁴
Named entity   (none)
CSS code       \2074
1

Complete HTML Example

This example demonstrates ⁴ using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape on a pseudo-element:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\2074";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>

<p>Superscript Four using Hexa Decimal: &#x2074;</p>
<p>Superscript Four using HTML Code: &#8308;</p>
<p id="point">Superscript Four using CSS Entity: </p>

</body>
</html>
Try It Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The character ⁴ (U+2074) is supported in all modern browsers. Rendering depends on font support for the Superscripts and Subscripts block, so include a sensible fallback font stack:

Chrome 1+
Firefox 1+
Safari 1+
Edge 12+
Opera 4+
Android 4.4+
iOS Safari 1+

👀 Live Preview

See ⁴ rendered in a few practical contexts:

Exponent x⁴
Fourth power 2⁴ = 16
Large glyph ⁴
Semantic note For multi-character superscripts, prefer <sup>.

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#x2074; references Unicode 2074 in hexadecimal to produce the glyph ⁴ in HTML.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#8308; uses the decimal code point value 8308 to render the same character.

HTML markup
3

CSS Entity (Escape)

\2074 is used in CSS (often in content) to generate ⁴ in pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.

CSS stylesheet
=

Same visual result

All methods render ⁴. Unicode is U+2074 (Superscripts and Subscripts). There is no named HTML entity for this character.

✅

Use Cases

The superscript four (⁴) commonly appears in the following scenarios:

📐 Exponents

Quartic terms like x⁴ and 2⁴ in math.

📝 Footnotes

Superscript reference markers in articles and papers.

🧪 Science

Powers and notation in physics and engineering.

📚 Education

Textbooks and tutorials explaining fourth powers.

📈 Charts

Labels and captions requiring a compact exponent.

🎨 Typography

Use the glyph when you need a single superscript digit.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use numeric references (&#x2074; / &#8308;) for portability
  • Use <sup> for multi-character superscripts
  • Keep exponent formatting consistent across content
  • Add context for assistive tech when needed
  • Use CSS escapes for generated content

Don’t

  • Expect a named entity like &sup4; (it doesn’t exist)
  • Mix Unicode superscripts with random <sup> usage without reason
  • Use the CSS escape inside HTML content
  • Let line-height collapse around formulas (adjust if needed)
  • Use ⁴ where a normal “4” is intended

Key Takeaways

1

Use numeric references in HTML

&#x2074; &#8308;
2

For CSS, use the escape in the content property

\2074
3

Unicode U+2074 is in Superscripts/Subscripts

4

Commonly used for exponents like x⁴

5

There is no named HTML entity for ⁴

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &#x2074; (hex) or &#8308; (decimal) in HTML. In CSS, use \2074 in the content property. All render ⁴.
U+2074 (hex 2074, decimal 8308). It’s part of the Superscripts and Subscripts Unicode block.
Use it for exponents (x⁴), fourth powers, mathematical formulas, and footnote markers.
HTML numeric references (&#8308; or &#x2074;) are used directly in markup. The CSS escape \2074 is used in stylesheets (often in content on pseudo-elements). Same glyph, different layer.
Named entities exist only for ¹ ² ³. For ⁴ you must use numeric Unicode codes like &#x2074; or &#8308;.

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About the author

Mari Selvan M P
Mari Selvan M P 🔗

Developer, cloud engineer, and technical writer

  • Experience 12 years building web and cloud systems
  • Focus Full Stack Development, AWS, and Developer Education

I write practical tutorials so students and working developers can learn by doing—from databases and APIs to deployment on AWS.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Credly)

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