HTML Entity for Lowercase Thorn (þ)

Beginner
⏱️ 5 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 1 Code Example
Unicode U+00FE
HTML Entity for Lowercase Thorn tutorial illustration

What You'll Learn

How to display the lowercase thorn (þ) in HTML using named entity, hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. Used in Icelandic, Faroese, and Old English, thorn represents the voiceless “th” sound (as in “thin” or “think”). It is U+00FE in the Latin-1 Supplement block.

Render it with þ, þ, þ, or CSS escape \00FE. The named entity þ is often the most readable option in HTML source.

⚡ Quick Reference — Lowercase Thorn Entity

Unicode U+00FE

Latin-1 Supplement

Hex Code þ

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code þ

Decimal reference

Named Entity þ

Most readable option

Reference Table
Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+00FE
Hex code       þ
HTML code      þ
Named entity   þ
CSS code       \00FE
Meaning        Latin small letter thorn
Also known as  Lowercase thorn
Related        U+00DE = Þ (Þ)
Block          Latin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF)
1

Complete HTML Example

A simple example showing the lowercase thorn (þ) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape:

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\00FE";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Symbol (hex): &#xFE;</p>
<p>Symbol (decimal): &#254;</p>
<p>Symbol (named): &thorn;</p>
<p id="point">Symbol (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>
Try It Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The lowercase thorn (þ) and the named entity &thorn; are supported in all modern browsers:

Chrome1+
Firefox1+
Safari1+
Edge12+
Opera4+
Android4.4+
iOS Safari1+

👀 Live Preview

See the lowercase thorn (þ) in linguistic and language contexts:

Large glyphþ
Icelandicþú, þetta, það
Named entity&thorn; renders as þ
UppercaseÞ (U+00DE) — use &THORN;
Not the same aseth ð (voiced th) or plain p
Numeric refs&#xFE; &#254; &thorn; \00FE

🧠 How It Works

1

Hexadecimal Code

&#xFE; uses the Unicode hexadecimal value FE to display the character. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup
2

Decimal HTML Code

&#254; uses the decimal Unicode value 254 to display the same character. One of the most commonly used methods in HTML.

HTML markup
3

Named Entity

&thorn; is the standard named entity for þ—readable in source HTML and part of the HTML5 entity set.

HTML markup
4

CSS Entity

\00FE 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: þ. Unicode U+00FE sits in Latin-1 Supplement. Do not confuse þ (thorn, voiceless th) with ð (eth, voiced th) or plain p (U+0070). Uppercase equivalent: U+00DE (Þ, &THORN;).

✅

Use Cases

The lowercase thorn (þ) is commonly used in:

🇮🇸 Icelandic

Essential for correct Icelandic spelling (e.g. þú, þetta, það). Thorn is a core letter of the Icelandic alphabet.

🇫🇰 Faroese

Used in Faroese orthography alongside eth for distinct th sounds.

📚 Old English

Medieval and historical texts, academic resources, and digitized manuscripts using thorn.

🔤 Linguistics

Phonetic notation and language documentation for voiceless dental fricative sounds.

🌐 Multilingual Sites

Support proper rendering of Icelandic and Faroese names, place names, and content.

♿ Accessibility

Using U+00FE with proper lang attributes (e.g. lang="is") helps assistive technologies pronounce content correctly.

🎨 CSS Generated Content

Using \00FE in the CSS content property to insert þ via pseudo-elements.

💡 Best Practices

Do

  • Serve pages as UTF-8; you can type þ directly in UTF-8 source
  • Use &thorn; for readable HTML when a named form is preferred
  • Set lang="is" or lang="fo" on Icelandic/Faroese content for correct pronunciation hints
  • Use \00FE in CSS content when generating the symbol via pseudo-elements
  • Distinguish þ (thorn, voiceless th) from ð (eth, voiced th)

Don’t

  • Substitute th or plain p when þ is required in Icelandic or Old English text
  • Confuse þ (thorn) with ð (eth)—they represent different sounds
  • Use the old incorrect CSS escape \000FE—the correct value is \00FE
  • Put CSS escape \00FE in HTML text nodes
  • Double-encode entity references in dynamically generated HTML

Key Takeaways

1

The named entity is the most readable form

&thorn;
2

Numeric alternatives: hex and decimal

&#xFE; &#254;
3

Unicode U+00FE — LATIN SMALL LETTER THORN

4

Voiceless th in Icelandic and Old English; uppercase is Þ (&THORN;)

5

Previous: Lowercase T Stroke (ŧ)   Next: Lowercase U (u)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Use &thorn; (named), &#xFE; (hex), &#254; (decimal), or \00FE in CSS content. In UTF-8 you can also type þ directly.
U+00FE (LATIN SMALL LETTER THORN). Latin-1 Supplement block. Hex FE, decimal 254. Used in Icelandic, Faroese, and Old English. Uppercase form is U+00DE (Þ).
When displaying Icelandic or Faroese text, Old English or medieval content, linguistic notation, language learning materials, or any content requiring the voiceless th character. In UTF-8 pages you can type þ directly.
The named entity &thorn; is readable in HTML source. Numeric codes (&#254; or &#xFE;) achieve the same result and are useful when generating markup programmatically. Both produce þ.
Thorn (þ, U+00FE) represents the voiceless th sound (as in “thin”). Eth (ð, U+00F0) represents the voiced th sound (as in “this”). They are distinct letters in Icelandic and Old English.

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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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