HTML Entity for Figure Dash (‒)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Figure dash (‒) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+2012 (FIGURE DASH) in the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F)—a typographic dash used for number ranges, dates, and figure-related formatting, often similar in width to digits in proportional fonts.
Render it with ‒, ‒, or CSS escape \2012. There is no named HTML entity. For general ranges many style guides use the en dash (–, –); use the figure dash when you need figure-width alignment between numbers.
⚡ Quick Reference — Figure Dash
U+2012General Punctuation
‒Hexadecimal reference
‒Decimal reference
—Use numeric codes only
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+2012
Hex code ‒
HTML code ‒
Named entity (none)
CSS code \2012
Meaning Figure-width dash for numbers / ranges
Related U+2013 = En dash (–); U+2014 = Em dash (—)Complete HTML Example
This example demonstrates the Figure dash (‒) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape. There is no named HTML entity:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point:after{
content: "\2012";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Figure Dash using Hexadecimal: 2020‒2024</p>
<p>Figure Dash using HTML Code: pages 10‒15</p>
<p id="point">Figure Dash using CSS Entity: 1</p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Figure dash entity is universally supported in all modern browsers:
👀 Live Preview
See the figure dash (‒) in range context and compared with other dashes:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
‒ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 2012 to display the Figure dash. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
‒ uses the decimal Unicode value 8210 to display the same character.
CSS Entity
\2012 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.
Same visual result
All three methods produce the Figure dash: ‒. Unicode U+2012 is in General Punctuation. No named HTML entity—use numeric codes in markup.
Use Cases
The Figure dash (‒) is commonly used in:
Ranges between numbers (2020‒2024, pages 10‒15, 1‒100).
Date ranges (January‒March, 1990‒2000) in text and tables.
Formal text, quotes, and lists where a distinct dash improves readability.
Reports, contracts, and professional documents with consistent dash styling.
Separate figures, scores, or values (e.g. 50‒99) in tables.
Page ranges and bibliographic formatting in references.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use the figure dash between numbers for figure-width alignment (2020‒2024)
- Omit spaces around the dash in numeric ranges (2020‒2024, not 2020 ‒ 2024)
- Use
‒or‒consistently within a project - Choose the right dash: figure ‒, en –, or em — per your style guide
- Serve pages with UTF-8 (
<meta charset="utf-8">)
Don’t
- Confuse figure dash (‒) with en dash (–) or hyphen-minus (-)
- Expect a named entity—none exists for U+2012
- Put CSS escape
\2012in HTML text nodes - Use a hyphen (-) when typography calls for a proper dash
- Mix entity styles randomly in one file
Key Takeaways
Two HTML numeric references plus CSS render ‒
‒ ‒For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property
\2012Unicode U+2012 — FIGURE DASH
General Punctuation block; ideal for number ranges
Three methods, no named HTML entity
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
‒ (hex), ‒ (decimal), or \2012 in CSS content. There is no named entity.U+2012 (FIGURE DASH). General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F). Hex 2012, decimal 8210. Used for typographic formatting with numbers and ranges.‒ or ‒) go in markup. The CSS escape \2012 is used in stylesheets, typically in the content property of pseudo-elements. Same visual result, different layers of the stack.– (U+2013); the figure dash does not have a named equivalent.Explore More HTML Entities!
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