Lowercase thorn (þ) is the Latin-1 Supplement character at Unicode U+00FE (LATIN SMALL LETTER THORN). It is a letter of its own — not the digraph th. It appears in Icelandic and historically in Old English. HTML5 defines the named entity þ.
Remember
Character þ
Unicode U+00FE
Named entity þ
Hex entity þ
Decimal þ
CSS escape \00FE
All of these produce the same glyph: þ. Prefer þ or a pasted þ in UTF-8 pages; use numeric or CSS forms when you need them.
Reference
Quick Reference
One table for every form you will actually use.
Form
Code
Where it goes
Direct character
þ
HTML text (UTF-8 default)
Named entity
þ
HTML markup (readable choice)
Hex entity
þ
HTML markup
Decimal entity
þ
HTML markup
CSS escape
\00FE
Stylesheet content
When to Use Which
Situation
Use
Icelandic / Old English UTF-8 text
Type or paste þ
Readable entity in HTML source
þ
Numeric entity required
þ or þ
Generated text via ::before / ::after
content: "\00FE"
Eth (ð) or digraph th
Different characters — do not substitute
See it
Live Preview
Lowercase thorn rendered in common contexts.
Icelandicþú, þetta
Large glyphþ
Case pairÞ þ
With entitiesNamed: þ | Hex: þ | Decimal: þ
Not the sameth (ASCII) · ð (ð)
Code
Complete HTML Example
One page that shows lowercase thorn with named, hex, decimal, and CSS forms. Use View Output or open the live editor.
Named + Hex + Decimal + CSS
Four ways to produce þ in a single document.
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Lowercase Thorn (þ) in HTML</title>
<style>
#point::after {
content: "\00FE";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Thorn using Named Entity: þ</p>
<p>Thorn using Hex Code: þ</p>
<p>Thorn using HTML Code: þ</p>
<p id="point">Thorn using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>
Thorn using Named Entity: þ
Thorn using Hex Code: þ
Thorn using HTML Code: þ
Thorn using CSS Entity: þ
How It Works
1. Named:þ is the HTML5 named entity for U+00FE. Clearest form in HTML source.
2. Hex:U+00FE → þ in HTML. Same glyph as named.
3. Decimal: same code point as 254 → þ. Same result.
4. CSS: use \00FE in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that þ after the paragraph text.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with the thorn entity.
Named
Prefer þ
HTML5 defines a named entity for this letter — use it for readable HTML.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\00FE belongs in CSS. þ / þ / þ belong in HTML.
Look-alikes
Not eth or th
Eth ð is U+00F0 (ð). The digraph th is two ASCII letters — not thorn.
Case
þ vs Þ
Uppercase is U+00DE (Þ) — a different code point from U+00FE.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write þ, not þ.
UTF-8
Declare charset
If you paste þ directly, serve the page as UTF-8 with <meta charset="UTF-8">.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Lowercase thorn (U+00FE) and its entity forms (þ, þ, þ, CSS \\00FE) are supported in all mainstream browsers.
✓ Universal support
Lowercase Thorn (þ)
Use þ, paste þ, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same glyph everywhere.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+00FE / entitiesFull support
Bottom line: Prefer þ or a pasted þ in UTF-8 text. Use þ / þ when a numeric form is required, and \\00FE only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: thorn is U+00FE (decimal 254), Latin-1 Supplement.
HTML: prefer þ, or use þ / þ.
CSS: use \00FE inside content for generated text.
Use: Icelandic / Old English — not the same as th or eth ð.
One line:U+00FE → þ, or þ / þ / CSS \00FE.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use þ (named), þ (hex), þ (decimal), or the CSS escape \00FE in the content property. All render þ. In UTF-8 files you can also type or paste þ directly.
U+00FE (LATIN SMALL LETTER THORN). Hex 00FE, decimal 254. It belongs to the Latin-1 Supplement and appears in Icelandic (e.g. þú, þetta) and historically in Old English.
Yes. HTML5 defines þ for this character. You can also use numeric references þ or þ.
Use it for Icelandic, Faroese, Old English / linguistic examples, CSS-generated content, or when encoding must be explicit. Prefer þ when you want a readable named form in HTML source.
HTML entities (þ, þ, or þ) go in markup. The CSS escape \00FE is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render þ.
Eth ð is U+00F0 (ð) — a different letter (voiced th). Thorn þ is U+00FE and often represents a voiceless th sound. The digraph th is two ASCII letters, not the same as thorn.
🤔
Did you know?
Lowercase thorn (þ) is Unicode U+00FE (decimal 254) in the Latin-1 Supplement. HTML5 defines the named entity þ — also usable as þ or þ. Common in Icelandic and historically in Old English.
