Latin small letter turned alpha (ɒ) is Unicode U+0252 in the IPA Extensions block. In the International Phonetic Alphabet it marks the open back rounded vowel. It is not the same as Latin alpha ɑ (U+0251) or Greek alpha α (U+03B1).
Remember
Character ɒ
Unicode U+0252
Hex entity ɒ
Decimal ɒ
CSS escape \0252
Named entity (none)
Not the same ɑ (U+0251) · Greek α (α)
All numeric forms produce the same glyph: ɒ. Prefer typing ɒ in UTF-8 pages when you can; use entities for CSS content, generated markup, or when encoding must be explicit.
Alpha Reverse using Hex Code: ɒ
Alpha Reverse using HTML Code: ɒ
Alpha Reverse using CSS Entity: ɒ
Typed directly: ɒ
How It Works
1. Hex:U+0252 → ɒ in HTML. The browser turns it into ɒ.
2. Decimal: same code point as 594 → ɒ. Same result as hex.
3. CSS: use \0252 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ɒ after the paragraph text.
4. Typed ɒ: best for normal UTF-8 text. All four lines show the same letter.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with the alpha reverse (ɒ) entity.
ɑ
Not the same as Latin alpha
ɑ (U+0251) is unrounded; ɒ is rounded. Pick the phoneme you mean.
Greek
Do not use α
α is Greek α (U+03B1), not IPA turned alpha ɒ.
Named?
No named entity for ɒ
HTML5 does not define a named entity for U+0252. Use numeric forms.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\0252 belongs in CSS. ɒ / ɒ belong in HTML.
Fonts
Use IPA-capable fonts
Some UI fonts omit IPA Extensions. Prefer fonts that cover phonetic symbols.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ɒ, not ɒ.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Latin small letter turned alpha (U+0252) and its numeric entity forms (ɒ, ɒ, CSS \\0252) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph availability depends on font support for the IPA Extensions block.
✓ Universal support
Alpha Reverse (ɒ)
Type ɒ, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same letter everywhere encoding is supported.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+0252 / entitiesFull support
Bottom line: Use a typed ɒ for normal UTF-8 text. Prefer ɒ or ɒ in HTML when encoding must be explicit, and \\0252 only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: turned alpha is U+0252 (decimal 594).
HTML: use ɒ or ɒ when you need an entity.
CSS: use \0252 inside content for generated text.
Watch out: ɒ ≠ ɑ ≠ Greek α — three different characters.
One line:U+0252 → type ɒ, or encode as ɒ / ɒ / CSS \0252.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use ɒ (hex), ɒ (decimal), or the CSS escape \0252 in the content property. All render ɒ. You can also paste ɒ directly if your file is UTF-8. There is no named HTML entity for U+0252.
U+0252 (hex 0252, decimal 594). Unicode names it Latin small letter turned alpha. It belongs to the IPA Extensions block (U+0250–U+02AF).
No. Use numeric references like ɒ or ɒ. Do not use α — that is Greek α (U+03B1).
Use ɒ for the IPA open back rounded vowel. Use ɑ for the open back unrounded vowel. They look similar but are different phonemes and different Unicode characters.
HTML entities (ɒ or ɒ) go in markup. The CSS escape \0252 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ɒ.
No. Greek α is U+03B1 (α). Turned alpha ɒ is U+0252 — an IPA Latin letter.
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Did you know?
Latin small letter turned alpha is Unicode U+0252 (decimal 594) in the IPA Extensions block. It is the IPA symbol for the open back rounded vowel (as in many British pronunciations of lot). HTML5 has no named entity for ɒ — it is not the same as Latin ɑ (U+0251) or Greek α (α).
