HTML Entity for Lowercase A Latin Subscript (ₐ)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Latin subscript small letter a (ₐ) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This character is used in chemical formulas, linguistic notation, and mathematics. It is U+2090 in the Superscripts and Subscripts block.
Render it with ₐ, ₐ, or CSS escape \2090. There is no named HTML entity for this character, so numeric codes or CSS must be used.
⚡ Quick Reference — Lowercase A Latin Subscript Entity
U+2090Superscripts and Subscripts
ₐHexadecimal reference
ₐDecimal reference
—No named entity
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+2090
Hex code ₐ
HTML code ₐ
Named entity (none)
CSS code \2090
Meaning Latin subscript small letter a
Block Superscripts and Subscripts (U+2070–U+209F)Complete HTML Example
A simple example showing the Latin subscript small letter a (ₐ) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point:after{
content: "\2090";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol (hex): ₐ</p>
<p>Symbol (decimal): ₐ</p>
<p id="point">Symbol (CSS): </p>
<p>In context: xₐ</p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Latin subscript small letter a (ₐ) renders correctly in modern browsers when UTF-8 is used:
👀 Live Preview
See the Latin subscript small letter a (ₐ) in context:
a🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
ₐ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 2090 to display the character. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
ₐ uses the decimal Unicode value 8336 to display the same character. A common method for subscript characters.
CSS Entity
\2090 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 glyph: ₐ. Unicode U+2090 is a standalone subscript character, not the same as <sub>a</sub>. There is no named HTML entity.
Use Cases
The Latin subscript small letter a (ₐ) is commonly used in:
Variable subscripts in chemical notation when the subscript is a letter.
Phonetic notation where subscript letters indicate sounds or variants.
Expressions with letter subscripts (e.g. xₐ, vₐ) for consistent rendering.
Academic and scientific content requiring correct subscript letter glyphs.
Equations and styled text needing the subscript a glyph across fonts.
Using the actual character ₐ for consistent indexing and screen reader behavior.
Textbooks and reference sites explaining subscript notation in formulas.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use
ₐorₐin HTML (no named entity exists) - Serve pages as UTF-8; you can also type ₐ directly in UTF-8 source
- Use fonts that support Superscripts and Subscripts (U+2070–U+209F)
- Use ₐ when you need a standard subscript glyph character
- Distinguish ₐ (U+2090) from plain
a(U+0061)
Don’t
- Assume a named entity exists—there is none for ₐ
- Confuse ₐ with
<sub>a</sub>(styled text, not the same glyph) - Put CSS escape
\2090in HTML text nodes - Assume all fonts render subscript characters identically
- Omit UTF-8 encoding on pages with subscript characters
Key Takeaways
Three references render ₐ (no named entity)
ₐ ₐFor CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property
\2090Unicode U+2090 — LATIN SUBSCRIPT SMALL LETTER A
Used in chemistry, linguistics, mathematics, and phonetic notation
Previous: Lowercase A Latin (ͣ) Next: Lowercase A Macron
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
ₐ (hex), ₐ (decimal), or \2090 in CSS content. There is no named HTML entity for this character.U+2090 (LATIN SUBSCRIPT SMALL LETTER A). Superscripts and Subscripts block. Hex 2090, decimal 8336. Used in chemistry, linguistics, and mathematics.a below the baseline.ₐ or ₐ) is used in HTML content. The CSS entity (\2090) is used in CSS, e.g. in the content property of pseudo-elements. Both produce ₐ but in different contexts.ₐ or ₐ in HTML, or \2090 in CSS. This is standard for subscript characters in Unicode.Explore More HTML Entities!
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