HTML Entity for Dagger (†)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Dagger symbol (†) in HTML using named, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS entity methods. The Dagger is U+2020 in the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F) and is widely used for footnotes, citations, reference markers, and editorial notation.
This character can be rendered with the named entity †, hexadecimal †, decimal †, or CSS escape \2020 in the content property. Pair with the double dagger (‡) via ‡ for second footnotes.
⚡ Quick Reference — Dagger
U+2020General Punctuation block
†Hexadecimal reference
†Decimal reference
†Most readable option
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+2020
Hex code †
HTML code †
Named entity †
CSS code \2020Complete HTML Example
This example demonstrates the Dagger symbol (†) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape on a pseudo-element:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point:after{
content: "\2020";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Dagger using Hexadecimal: †</p>
<p>Dagger using HTML Code: †</p>
<p>Dagger using HTML Entity: †</p>
<p id="point">Dagger using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Dagger entity is universally supported in all modern browsers:
👀 Live Preview
See the Dagger symbol rendered live in different contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Named HTML Entity
† is the semantic named entity for the Dagger—the easiest to read in source HTML.
Hexadecimal Code
† uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 2020. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
† uses the decimal Unicode value 8224 to display the same character.
CSS Entity
\2020 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of ::before and ::after.
Same visual result
All four methods produce the Dagger: †. Unicode U+2020 is in General Punctuation. Use ‡ for the double dagger (‡).
Use Cases
The Dagger symbol (†) is commonly used in:
Mark the first footnote or reference in articles, books, and academic papers.
Reference markers, endnotes, and annotations in journals, theses, and published works.
Indicate date of death (e.g. John Smith † 2020) in obituaries and genealogical content.
Footnote markers in research papers, specifications, and technical documentation.
Citations and reference indicators in legal texts, contracts, and formal correspondence.
Unicode tables, HTML entity guides, and typography documentation.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use
†for readable source markup - Pair † with ‡ (
‡) for first and second footnotes - Link footnotes with
aria-describedbyor visible note text - Use
\2020only inside CSScontent - Pick one style (named / hex / decimal) per project
Don’t
- Confuse † (dagger) with ‡ (double dagger) in footnote order
- Rely on the symbol alone without accessible footnote text
- Put CSS escape
\2020in HTML text nodes - Use HTML entities in JS (use
\u2020instead) - Mix entity styles randomly in one file
Key Takeaways
Four ways to render † in HTML
† † †For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property
\2020Unicode U+2020 — General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F)
Prefer † for readability in footnote-heavy content
Use ‡ (‡) for the second footnote when needed
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
† (named), † (hex), † (decimal), or \2020 in CSS content. All produce †.U+2020 (DAGGER). General Punctuation block. Hex 2020, decimal 8224. Commonly used for footnotes and citations.†, †, or †) go in markup. The CSS escape \2020 is used in stylesheets, typically in the content property of pseudo-elements. Same visual result, different layers.† for † and ‡ or ‡ for ‡.Explore More HTML Entities!
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