HTML Entity for Lowercase A (a)
What You'll Learn
How to display the lowercase letter a in HTML using entity methods. The letter a is the first letter of the Latin alphabet (U+0061) and is part of the Basic Latin block. In most cases you can type it directly; numeric or CSS entities are useful when escaping, generating content via CSS, or ensuring correct encoding.
This character can be displayed using the character itself, a hexadecimal reference, a decimal reference, or a CSS escape in the content property. There is no named HTML entity like &a; for this letter.
⚡ Quick Reference — Lowercase A Entity
U+0061Basic Latin (ASCII)
aHexadecimal reference
aDecimal reference
aType directly (no named entity)
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+0061
Hex code a
HTML code a
Named entity (none — use a directly)
CSS code \61
Meaning Latin small letter a
Related U+0041 = A (uppercase)
Block Basic Latin (U+0000–U+007F)Complete HTML Example
A simple example showing the lowercase letter a using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the character directly, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point:after{
content: "\61";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol (hex): a</p>
<p>Symbol (decimal): a</p>
<p>Symbol (direct): a</p>
<p id="point">Symbol (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The lowercase letter a (U+0061) is universally supported in all browsers and platforms as part of Basic Latin:
👀 Live Preview
See the lowercase letter a in common text contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
a uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 61 to display the letter. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
a uses the decimal Unicode value 97 to display the same character. This is the ASCII/Unicode decimal for a.
Direct Character
Type a directly in HTML. There is no named entity like &a;; the character itself is the standard approach in body text.
CSS Entity
\61 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.
Same visual result
All methods produce the glyph: a. Unicode U+0061 sits in Basic Latin. The uppercase form is U+0041 (A). In normal text, typing a is preferred.
Use Cases
The lowercase letter a (or its entity forms) is commonly used in:
Standard character in paragraphs, articles, and any Latin-script text. Usually typed directly.
Use in ARIA labels, alt text, placeholders, and attribute values; numeric entities help when escaping is needed.
Reference in font specs, CSS content, or generated text via CSS entities.
Teaching the alphabet, phonics, or character encoding; entity codes clarify the exact character.
When building HTML or strings programmatically, numeric entities ensure correct output.
Part of Basic Latin used across languages; entities can help in legacy encoding contexts.
CSS content or list-style may use the character via entity for styling.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Type
adirectly in body content; use entities only when necessary - Serve pages as UTF-8 so Basic Latin characters render without entities
- Use numeric references (
aora) when escaping is required - Use
\61in CSScontentwhen generating the letter via pseudo-elements - Remember lowercase a is U+0061 and uppercase A is U+0041 when case matters
Don’t
- Overuse numeric entities for
ain normal readable text - Expect a named HTML entity like
&a;—none exists for this letter - Put CSS escape
\61in HTML text nodes - Confuse
a(U+0061) with accented variants likeá(á) - Mix entity styles randomly in one file without reason
Key Takeaways
Type a directly, or use hex/decimal references
a aFor CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property
\61Unicode U+0061 — LATIN SMALL LETTER A
First letter of the Latin alphabet (Basic Latin block)
Previous: Lowercase 5 Tone (ƽ) Next: Lowercase A Acute
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
a directly, or use a (hex), a (decimal), or \61 in CSS content. For most content, typing a is standard; use numeric or CSS entities when escaping or generating via CSS.U+0061 (LATIN SMALL LETTER A). Basic Latin block. Hex 61, decimal 97. It is the first letter of the Latin alphabet.::before/::after, ensuring encoding in legacy systems, or building strings programmatically. In normal body text, typing a is preferred.a or a) is used in HTML content or attributes. The CSS entity (\61) is used in CSS, e.g. in the content property of pseudo-elements. Both produce a but in different contexts.&a; for the letter a. Use the character a directly, or numeric references a (decimal) or a (hex). Named entities are mainly for characters with special meaning (e.g. <, &).Explore More HTML Entities!
Discover 1500+ HTML character references — letters, symbols, and more.
About the author
8 people found this page helpful