HTML Entity for Hyphen Bullet (⁃)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+2043
HTML entity for Hyphen Bullet (U+2043) — hex, decimal, named, and CSS tutorial

What You'll Learn

How to display the Hyphen Bullet (⁃) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, named entity, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+2043 (HYPHEN BULLET) in the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F). It looks like a hyphen and is designed for use as a list bullet.

Render it with ⁃, ⁃, ⁃, or CSS escape \2043. Prefer ⁃ in list markup or use the CSS escape in ::before or ::marker for consistent hyphen-style bullets.

⚡ Quick Reference — Hyphen Bullet

Unicode U+2043

General Punctuation

Hex Code ⁃

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ⁃

Decimal reference

Named Entity ⁃

⁃ — readable option

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+2043
Hex code       ⁃
HTML code      ⁃
Named entity   ⁃
CSS code       \2043
Meaning        Hyphen-style list bullet
CSS note       \2043 or \02043 in content property
1

Complete HTML Example

This example demonstrates the Hyphen Bullet (⁃) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\2043";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Hyphen Bullet using Hexadecimal: &#x2043;</p>
<p>Hyphen Bullet using Decimal: &#8259;</p>
<p>Hyphen Bullet using Named Entity: &hybull;</p>
<p id="point">Hyphen Bullet using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The Hyphen Bullet (⁃) is supported in all modern browsers; most fonts include General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F):

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

👀 Live Preview

See the Hyphen Bullet (⁃) as a list marker and in typography:

Large glyph ⁃
Named entity &hybull; renders as ⁃
List marker ⁃ First item
⁃ Second item
vs hyphen (&hyphen;) ⁃ bullet (U+2043)   ‐ hyphen (U+2010)
Numeric refs &#x2043; &#8259; &hybull; \2043

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#x2043; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 2043 to display the symbol. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#8259; uses the decimal Unicode value 8259 to display the same character.

HTML markup
3

Named Entity

&hybull; is the named entity for ⁃—easy to remember and clear in source HTML.

HTML markup
4

CSS Entity

\2043 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.

CSS stylesheet
=

Same visual result

All four methods produce the glyph: ⁃. Unicode U+2043 is in General Punctuation. Next: Hyphenation Point.

✅

Use Cases

The Hyphen Bullet (⁃) is commonly used in:

📋 Lists & bullets

Use as a list marker when you want a hyphen-style bullet instead of a dot.

✎ Minimalist styling

Clean lists with &hybull; or CSS ::before / ::marker content.

📰 Editorial

Article lists, sidebars, and editorial content with hyphen bullets.

🔗 Navigation

Subtle separators or bullets in menu items and nav lists.

🎨 Design systems

Match a site-wide design that uses hyphen-style bullets.

📝 Notes & outlines

Format notes, outlines, or step lists with a consistent bullet character.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Use &hybull; for readable list markup in HTML
  • Use CSS content: "\2043" in ::marker or ::before for list bullets
  • Keep one method (named, hex, or decimal) consistent across the document
  • Prefer <ul> / <ol> with CSS markers for accessible list structure
  • Serve pages with UTF-8 (<meta charset="utf-8">)

Don’t

  • Put CSS escape \2043 in HTML text nodes
  • Use &hybull; for compound words—use &hyphen; (U+2010) instead
  • Confuse hyphen bullet (⁃) with en dash (–) or em dash (—)
  • Assume the keyboard hyphen (-) is the same as a list bullet
  • Use ⁃ for non-list content without proper semantics

Key Takeaways

1

Three HTML references plus CSS all render ⁃

&#x2043; &#8259; &hybull;
2

For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property

\2043
3

Unicode U+2043 — HYPHEN BULLET

4

Prefer &hybull; for readability in HTML source

5

Next: Hyphenation Point

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &#x2043; (hex), &#8259; (decimal), &hybull; (named), or \2043 in CSS content. All produce ⁃.
U+2043 (HYPHEN BULLET). General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F). Hex 2043, decimal 8259. Named entity: &hybull;. Used as a hyphen-style list bullet.
For lists and bullet points, minimalist list styling, typography and editorial content, and any content that needs a hyphen-shaped bullet character.
&hybull; (U+2043) is the hyphen bullet for list markers. A regular hyphen (- or &hyphen;, U+2010) is for word hyphenation. Use &hybull; for bullets; use a hyphen when joining words.
Use list-style-type: none and add the character via ::before with content: "\2043", or use ::marker with the escaped form. This styles hyphen bullets without repeating the entity in every list item.
&hybull; is used directly in HTML content. The CSS escape \2043 belongs 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.

AWS Certified Developer – Associate (Credly)

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