HTML Entity for Dotted Cross (⁜)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+205C

What You'll Learn

How to display the Dotted Cross symbol (⁜) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS entity methods. This character is U+205C (DOTTED CROSS) in the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F)—historically used in manuscript margins as an annotation or highlighting mark (obelism).

There is no named HTML entity for U+205C. Use ⁜, ⁜, or \205C in CSS content. Do not confuse with mathematical cross symbols or the dot plus operator (∔).

⚡ Quick Reference — Dotted Cross

Unicode U+205C

General Punctuation block

Hex Code ⁜

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ⁜

Decimal reference

Named Entity

Not available for U+205C

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+205C
Hex code       ⁜
HTML code      ⁜
Named entity   —
CSS code       \205C
1

Complete HTML Example

This example demonstrates the Dotted Cross symbol (⁜) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape. There is no named HTML entity:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\205C";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Dotted Cross using Hexadecimal: &#x205C;</p>
<p>Dotted Cross using HTML Code: &#8284;</p>
<p id="point">Dotted Cross using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

U+205C is supported in modern browsers; use a font with General Punctuation coverage for consistent display:

Chrome 1+
Firefox 1+
Safari 1+
Edge 12+
Opera 4+
Android 4.4+
iOS Safari 3.2+

👀 Live Preview

See the Dotted Cross symbol (⁜) in editorial and decorative contexts:

Manuscript Margin note ⁜   Highlight ⁜
Decorative ⁜ Section divider ⁜
Large glyph
vs related ⁜ dotted cross   ∔ dot plus   ✝ latin cross
Monospace refs &#x205C; &#8284; \205C

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#x205C; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 205C to display the Dotted Cross symbol.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#8284; uses the decimal Unicode value 8284 to display the same character.

HTML markup
3

CSS Entity

\205C is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of ::before or ::after.

CSS stylesheet
=

Same visual result

All three methods produce: . Unicode U+205C is in General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F). No named HTML entity exists.

Use Cases

The Dotted Cross symbol (⁜) is commonly used in:

📜 Manuscript style

Digital editions and scholarly content mimicking manuscript annotations and obelism.

🎨 Decorative design

Dividers, icons, and branding that use ⁜ for visual interest.

📝 Editorial symbols

Publishing and typography projects with General Punctuation marks.

📖 Education

Articles about obelism, manuscript symbols, and punctuation history.

📑 Special characters

Web content that must display the ⁜ character correctly.

🔤 Symbol references

Unicode and HTML entity tables for General Punctuation.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use &#x205C; or &#8284; for the ⁜ character
  • Choose fonts that support General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F)
  • Use \205C only inside CSS content
  • Provide context (legend or caption) when ⁜ is meaningful, not decorative
  • Keep hex or decimal style consistent across the document

Don’t

  • Assume a named entity exists for U+205C—it does not
  • Confuse ⁜ with dot plus (∔) or religious cross symbols
  • Rely on fonts that omit General Punctuation (glyph may show as a box)
  • Put CSS escape \205C in HTML text nodes
  • Use decorative ⁜ without aria-hidden when it adds no meaning for assistive tech

Key Takeaways

1

No named entity—use numeric references

&#x205C; &#8284;
2

For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property

\205C
3

Unicode U+205C DOTTED CROSS

4

Obelism / manuscript annotation mark in General Punctuation

5

Three methods, one glyph — widely supported in modern browsers

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &#x205C; (hex), &#8284; (decimal), or \205C in CSS content. There is no named HTML entity. All three methods render ⁜.
U+205C (DOTTED CROSS). General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F). Hex 205C, decimal 8284. Historically used as an annotation or obelism mark.
For decorative or stylistic content, manuscript-style annotations, editorial symbols, design elements, symbol reference pages, or any content that requires the ⁜ character.
Named HTML entities are typically reserved for commonly used characters. U+205C is in General Punctuation and is less frequent in everyday HTML, so only numeric codes and the CSS entity are available.
HTML numeric references (&#8284; or &#x205C;) go in markup. The CSS escape \205C is used in stylesheets, typically in the content property of pseudo-elements. Both render ⁜.

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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.

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