HTML Entity for Maltese Cross (✠)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Maltese Cross (✠) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, the named entity ✠, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+2720 (MALTESE CROSS) in the Dingbats block (U+2700–U+27BF)—a four-pointed cross symbol used in heraldry, historical references, religious iconography, and design.
Render it with ✠, ✠, ✠, or CSS escape \2720. Do not confuse ✠ with † (dagger) or ✝ (Latin cross).
⚡ Quick Reference — Maltese Cross
U+2720Dingbats block
✠Hexadecimal reference
✠Decimal reference
✠HTML5 named entity for U+2720
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+2720
Hex code ✠
HTML code ✠
Named entity ✠
CSS code \2720
Related U+2020 = dagger (†); U+271D = Latin cross (✝)Complete HTML Example
This example demonstrates the Maltese Cross (✠) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity ✠, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point:after{
content: "\2720";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Maltese Cross using Hexadecimal: ✠</p>
<p>Maltese Cross using HTML Code: ✠</p>
<p>Maltese Cross using HTML Entity: ✠</p>
<p id="point">Maltese Cross using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Maltese Cross entity is universally supported in modern browsers:
👀 Live Preview
See the Maltese Cross (✠) in context and compared with related cross symbols:
✠ is the readable option🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
✠ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 2720 to display the Maltese Cross. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
✠ uses the decimal Unicode value 10016 to display the same character.
Named Entity
✠ is the semantic named entity — the easiest to read in source HTML and the most self-descriptive option.
CSS Entity
\2720 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.
Same visual result
All four methods produce the Maltese Cross glyph: ✠. Unicode U+2720 sits in the Dingbats block (U+2700–U+27BF).
Use Cases
The Maltese Cross (✠) commonly appears in:
Articles on the Knights of Malta, heraldry, and medieval history.
Church histories, religious reference pages, and liturgical notation.
Logos, badges, emblems, and decorative typography in web design.
Historical maps, travel guides, and cultural heritage sites.
Scholarly texts and reference markers using cross-style dingbats.
Entity tutorials, symbol dictionaries, and Dingbats block documentation.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use
✠for readable source markup - Pick one style (hex / decimal / named) per project
- Add
aria-labelwhen the symbol stands alone - Test the glyph across browsers and fonts
- Pair ✠ with descriptive text on first use
Don’t
- Confuse ✠ (Maltese cross) with † (dagger) or ✝ (Latin cross)
- Mix entity styles randomly in one file
- Put CSS escape
\2720in HTML text nodes - Use HTML entities in JS (use
\u2720) - Use padded Unicode notation like U+02720—the correct value is
U+2720
Key Takeaways
Three HTML references all render ✠
✠ ✠ ✠For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property
\2720Unicode U+2720 — MALTESE CROSS in the Dingbats block
Prefer ✠ for readability—it’s the most self-descriptive named entity
Four methods, one glyph — widely supported in modern browsers
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
✠ (named), ✠ (hex), ✠ (decimal), or \2720 in CSS content. All produce ✠.U+2720 (MALTESE CROSS). Dingbats block (U+2700–U+27BF). Hex 2720, decimal 10016. Named entity: ✠.✠, ✠, or ✠) go directly in markup. The CSS escape \2720 is used in stylesheets, typically in the content property of pseudo-elements. Same visual result, different layers of the stack.✠, ✠, and ✠ are equivalent in modern browsers and all render ✠. Do not confuse with other cross or dagger symbols.Explore More HTML Entities!
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