HTML Entity for Horizontal Ellipsis (…)

Beginner

5 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+2026

HTML Entity for horizontal ellipsis (U+2026) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is Horizontal Ellipsis?

Horizontal ellipsis (…) is the Unicode character at U+2026 in General Punctuation. Official name: HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS. It is a single character of three dots used for omitted text, truncation, and “continued” cues.

Remember

Character     …
Unicode       U+2026
Named entity  &hellip;  (also &mldr;)
Hex entity    &#x2026;
Decimal       &#8230;
CSS escape    \2026
Meaning       omitted / truncated text (one glyph)
Not the same  ... · ⋯ (&ctdot;) · ⋮ (&vellip;)

Prefer … in HTML (&mldr; is an alternate name for the same code point). Hex …, decimal …, or typing … in UTF-8 also work. Prefer this over three separate periods for cleaner typography and wrapping.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`…` / `&mldr;`	HTML markup (prefer `…`)
Hex entity	`…`	HTML markup
Decimal entity	`…`	HTML markup
Direct character	`…`	HTML text (UTF-8)
CSS escape	`\2026`	Stylesheet `content`

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Omitted text, truncation, “read more” cue	`…` (one character)
Midline / math-style horizontal dots	Midline horizontal ellipsis — `&ctdot;` (⋯)
Vertical stack of dots	Vertical ellipsis — `&vellip;` (⋮)
Two-dot leader	Two-dot leader — `&nldr;` (‥)
One-dot leader	One-dot leader — `․`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\2026"`

See it

Live Preview

Symbol alone, in a sample sentence, and next to related forms.

Glyph …

Large glyph …

Sample The quick brown fox…

Compared … ... ⋯ ⋮

With entities Named: … | Hex: … | Decimal: …

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows horizontal ellipsis with named, hex, decimal, CSS escape, and a typed character. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Named + Hex + Decimal + CSS + Typed

Five ways to display … in HTML and CSS.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Horizontal Ellipsis (U+2026) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\2026";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Built with Named: &hellip;</p>
  <p>Built with Alternate: &mldr;</p>
  <p>Built with Hex: &#x2026;</p>
  <p>Built with Decimal: &#8230;</p>
  <p id="point">Built with CSS: </p>
  <p>Typed: …</p>
  <p>Read more: The quick brown fox&hellip;</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: … (or &mldr;) is the preferred HTML form for U+2026 → ….

2. Hex / decimal: … and … insert the same code point. Same visual as named.

3. CSS: use \2026 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends ….

4. Typed: paste … in a UTF-8 document when you need this glyph. Prefer one ellipsis character over three periods for spacing and line-break behavior.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with horizontal ellipsis.

Name

Prefer `…`

HTML5 defines … and &mldr; for U+2026. Prefer … in tutorials and everyday markup.

...

Not three periods

... is three characters. … is one. Using three periods can wrap oddly and looks less consistent across fonts.

⋯

Not midline ellipsis

&ctdot; is ⋯ (U+22EF), often used in math. Horizontal ellipsis for prose is ….

⋮

Not vertical ellipsis

&vellip; is ⋮ (U+22EE). Related dots — different orientation.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\2026 belongs in CSS strings. … / … / … belong in HTML.

a11y

Keep meaning clear

Screen readers often announce … as “ellipsis.” Pair truncated UI text with nearby prose or an accessible name when the cutoff matters.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish entities with ; — write …, not &hellip.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Horizontal ellipsis (U+2026) and its entity forms (…, &mldr;, …, …, CSS \\2026) are supported in all mainstream browsers.

✓ Universal support

Horizontal Ellipsis (…)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, CSS escape, or type the character — same code point everywhere encoding is supported.

100% Browser coverage

Google Chrome Supported

Yes

Microsoft Edge Supported

Yes

Mozilla Firefox Supported

Yes

Apple Safari Supported

Yes

Opera Supported

Yes

Internet Explorer All versions

Yes

U+2026 Full support

Bottom line: Prefer … in HTML. Use … / … when numeric form is required, and \\2026 only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: horizontal ellipsis is U+2026 (decimal 8230) — glyph ….
HTML: prefer … (also &mldr;) / … / ….
CSS: use \2026 inside content for generated text.
Meaning: … ≠ ... / &ctdot; / &vellip; — one prose ellipsis glyph.

One line: U+2026 → … / … / … / CSS \2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display … in HTML?

Use … (named), &mldr; (alternate named), … (hex), … (decimal), type … directly in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \2026 in content. Prefer … in normal HTML.

What is the Unicode value for horizontal ellipsis?

U+2026 (HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS). Hex 2026, decimal 8230. It belongs to the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F).

Is there a named HTML entity for U+2026?

Yes. Use … (preferred) or &mldr;. Numeric forms … and … also work.

When should I use U+2026?

Use it for omitted text, truncated previews, and trailing “continued” cues. Prefer one … character over three ASCII periods (...). For math midline dots, see &ctdot;. For a vertical stack, see &vellip;.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for U+2026?

HTML entities (…, &mldr;, …, or …) go in markup. The CSS escape \2026 goes in stylesheet strings (usually content on ::before/::after).

Is U+2026 the same as ..., &ctdot;, or &vellip;?

No. Horizontal ellipsis is one character U+2026 (…). Three periods are three characters. Midline horizontal ellipsis is U+22EF (⋯ / &ctdot;). Vertical ellipsis is U+22EE (⋮ / &vellip;).

Did you know?

Horizontal ellipsis is Unicode U+2026 (decimal 8230) — glyph … in General Punctuation (official name HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS). HTML5 names it … and also &mldr;. Prefer … in markup. It is one character — not the same as typing three periods (...), the midline form &ctdot; (⋯), or vertical &vellip; (⋮).

Next: Horizontal Male Stroke Sign

Learn the HTML entity for horizontal male stroke sign (U+26A9).

Horizontal male stroke sign tutorial →

About the author

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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