Lowercase l retroflex hook (ɭ) is the IPA Extensions character at Unicode U+026D (LATIN SMALL LETTER L WITH RETROFLEX HOOK). It is the letter l with a retroflex hook — the IPA symbol for the retroflex lateral approximant (Tamil, Malayalam, Norwegian, and others). You can paste ɭ in a UTF-8 file, or use a numeric character reference when encoding must be explicit.
Remember
Character ɭ
Unicode U+026D
Hex entity ɭ
Decimal ɭ
CSS escape \026D
Named entity (none)
All of these produce the same glyph: ɭ. Prefer typing or pasting ɭ in UTF-8 pages; use entities for CSS content, generated markup, or when encoding must be explicit.
Lowercase l retroflex hook rendered in IPA and comparison contexts.
IPA sample[ɭ] retroflex lateral approximant
Large glyphɭ
With entitiesHex: ɭ | Decimal: ɭ
vs l / ɫ / ɬɭ | l | ɫ | ɬ
BlockIPA Extensions (U+0250–U+02AF)
Code
Complete HTML Example
One page that shows lowercase l retroflex hook with the hex entity, decimal entity, CSS escape, and a typed character. Use View Output or open the live editor.
Hex + Decimal + CSS + Typed
All four ways to produce ɭ in a single document.
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Lowercase L Retroflex Hook (ɭ) in HTML</title>
<style>
#point::after {
content: "\026D";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>L Retroflex Hook using Hex Code: ɭ</p>
<p>L Retroflex Hook using HTML Code: ɭ</p>
<p id="point">L Retroflex Hook using CSS Entity: </p>
<p>Typed / pasted: ɭ</p>
<p>IPA: [ɭ]</p>
</body>
</html>
L Retroflex Hook using Hex Code: ɭ
L Retroflex Hook using HTML Code: ɭ
L Retroflex Hook using CSS Entity: ɭ
Typed / pasted: ɭ
IPA: [ɭ]
How It Works
1. Hex:U+026D → ɭ in HTML. The browser turns it into ɭ.
2. Decimal: same code point as 621 → ɭ. Same result as hex.
3. CSS: use \026D in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ɭ after the paragraph text.
4. Typed ɭ: fine in UTF-8 documents. All four encoding lines show the same glyph.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with the l retroflex hook entity.
Named?
No named entity
HTML5 does not define a named entity for ɭ. Use numeric forms.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\026D belongs in CSS. ɭ / ɭ belong in HTML.
Look-alikes
Not l, ɫ, or ɬ
Plain l is U+006C; dark l ɫ is U+026B; l belt ɬ is U+026C. ɭ has a retroflex hook.
Fonts
Glyph coverage
Some fonts omit IPA Extensions. If ɭ looks like a box, switch to a font with IPA coverage.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ɭ, not ɭ.
UTF-8
Declare charset
If you paste ɭ directly, serve the page as UTF-8 with <meta charset="UTF-8">.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Lowercase l retroflex hook (U+026D) and its numeric entity forms (ɭ, ɭ, CSS \\026D) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph availability depends on the font.
✓ Universal support
Lowercase L Retroflex Hook (ɭ)
Paste ɭ, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same code point everywhere.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+026D / entitiesFull support
Bottom line: Use a pasted ɭ in UTF-8 text when you can. Prefer ɭ or ɭ in HTML when encoding must be explicit, and \\026D only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: l retroflex hook is U+026D (decimal 621), IPA Extensions.
HTML: use ɭ or ɭ when you need an entity.
CSS: use \026D inside content for generated text.
Meaning: IPA retroflex lateral — not the same as plain l, ɫ, or ɬ.
One line:U+026D → paste ɭ, or encode as ɭ / ɭ / CSS \026D.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use ɭ (hex), ɭ (decimal), or the CSS escape \026D in the content property. All render ɭ. There is no named HTML entity for this character.
U+026D (LATIN SMALL LETTER L WITH RETROFLEX HOOK). Hex 26D, decimal 621. It belongs to the IPA Extensions block and represents the retroflex lateral approximant.
No. HTML5 does not define a named entity for this character. Use numeric references ɭ or ɭ when you need an entity form.
Use it for IPA transcription, linguistics pages, pronunciation guides for Tamil / Malayalam / Norwegian retroflex laterals, CSS-generated content, or anywhere you must encode ɭ explicitly. Prefer typing or pasting ɭ directly when your file is UTF-8.
HTML entities (ɭ or ɭ) go in markup. The CSS escape \026D is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ɭ.
Plain l is U+006C. Dark l (middle tilde) ɫ is U+026B. Retroflex hook ɭ is U+026D — a different IPA lateral with the tongue tip curled back.
🤔
Did you know?
Lowercase l retroflex hook (ɭ) is Unicode U+026D (decimal 621) in the IPA Extensions block. Official name: LATIN SMALL LETTER L WITH RETROFLEX HOOK. HTML5 has no named entity — use ɭ or ɭ. It is the IPA symbol for the retroflex lateral approximant (Tamil, Malayalam, Norwegian, and others).
