HTML Entity for Left Single Quotation Mark (‘)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Left Single Quotation Mark (‘) in HTML using the named entity, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This symbol is U+2018 (LEFT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK) in the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F)—the opening curly single quote used for proper typography in dialogue, quoted phrases, and publishing.
Render it with ‘ (named), ‘, ‘, or CSS \2018. Do not confuse ‘ with U+2019 (’, closing single quote / ’) or U+0027 (', straight ASCII apostrophe).
⚡ Quick Reference — Left Single Quotation Mark
U+2018General Punctuation
‘Hexadecimal reference
‘Decimal reference
‘Most readable option
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+2018
Hex code ‘
HTML code ‘
Named entity ‘
CSS code \2018
Meaning Opening single quotation mark
Related U+2019 = right single quotation mark (’)
U+0027 = apostrophe (')Complete HTML Example
A simple example showing the Left Single Quotation Mark (‘) using the named entity, hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point:after{
content: "\2018";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Quote (hex): ‘Hello’</p>
<p>Quote (decimal): ‘Hello’</p>
<p>Quote (named): ‘Hello’</p>
<p id="point">Quote (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Left Single Quotation Mark (‘) is universally supported in all modern browsers—General Punctuation glyphs are included in virtually all system fonts:
👀 Live Preview
See the Left Single Quotation Mark (‘) rendered live in different contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
‘ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 2018 for the left single quotation mark. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
‘ uses the decimal Unicode value 8216 to display the same character.
Named Entity
‘ is the semantic named entity — the easiest to read in source HTML and the most self-descriptive option.
CSS Entity
\2018 is used in CSS stylesheets in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before or ::after.
Same visual result
All four methods produce ‘. Unicode U+2018 is in the General Punctuation block. Pair with ’ (U+2019) to close. Previous: Left Side Arc Anticlockwise Arrow.
Use Cases
The Left Single Quotation Mark (‘) is commonly used in:
Open single-quoted dialogue or quoted phrases (e.g. ‘He said’).
Use proper curly opening single quote instead of a straight apostrophe.
Ensure correct quote rendering in articles, blogs, and CMS output.
Pair with ’ for proper quoted text that screen readers handle well.
Typeset quotations and references with the correct opening single quote.
Support languages and styles that use single quotation marks.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use
‘for readable source markup - Pair with
’to open and close single quotations - Prefer typographic quotes over straight ASCII apostrophes in quoted text
- Keep one entity style per project for consistency
- Use proper quote pairs so assistive tech understands boundaries
Don’t
- Confuse ‘ (opening) with ’ (closing single quote)
- Use CSS
\2018inside HTML text nodes - Substitute a straight apostrophe (') for typographic opening quotes
- Mix entity styles randomly in one file
- Leave quotes unpaired in dialogue or nested quotations
Key Takeaways
Three HTML references plus CSS all render ‘
‘ ‘ ‘For CSS, use \2018 in the content property
Unicode U+2018 — LEFT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK
Prefer ‘ and pair with ’ for closing
Previous: Left Side Arc Anticlockwise Arrow Next: Left Square Bracket Quill
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
‘ (hex), ‘ (decimal), ‘ (named), or \2018 in CSS content. All four methods render ‘ correctly.U+2018 (LEFT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK). General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F). Hex 2018, decimal 8216. The opening curly single quote used in typographic quotation.‘, ‘, or ‘) go in markup. The CSS escape \2018 is used in stylesheets, typically on ::before or ::after. Both produce ‘.‘ is the named HTML entity for U+2018. You can also use ‘ (decimal) or ‘ (hex) and \2018 in CSS.Explore More HTML Entities!
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