HTML Entity for Not Sign (¬)

Beginner

6 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Unicode U+00AC

HTML Entity for not sign (¬) tutorial illustration

Definition

What Is the Not Sign Entity?

Not sign (¬) is the Latin-1 Supplement character at Unicode U+00AC (NOT SIGN). In logic, ¬P means “not P.” HTML5 provides the named entity ¬.

Remember

Character     ¬
Unicode       U+00AC
Named entity  &not;
Hex entity    &#xAC;  (or &#x00AC;)
Decimal       &#172;
CSS escape    \00AC

All of these produce the same glyph: ¬. Prefer ¬ for readable HTML; paste ¬ in UTF-8 when convenient.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

Form	Code	Where it goes
Named entity	`¬`	HTML markup
Hex entity	`¬`	HTML markup (also `¬`)
Decimal entity	`¬`	HTML markup
Direct character	`¬`	HTML text (UTF-8 default)
CSS escape	`\00AC`	Stylesheet `content` (padded)

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Readable logic in HTML	`¬`
UTF-8 math / logic text	Type or paste `¬`
Numeric entity required	`¬` or `¬`
Generated text via `::before` / `::after`	`content: "\00AC"`
Programming-style “not”	ASCII `!` (not this entity)

See it

Live Preview

Not sign rendered in common contexts.

Glyph ¬

Large glyph ¬

In a formula ¬P means NOT P

With entities Named: ¬ | Hex: ¬ | Decimal: ¬

Related symbols ! (ASCII) · ∼ (&sim;) · ≠ (≠)

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows the not sign with named, hex, decimal, direct, and CSS forms. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Named + Hex + Decimal + Direct + CSS

Five ways to produce ¬ in a single document.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Not Sign (¬) in HTML</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\00AC";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &not;</p>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#xAC;</p>
  <p>Using Decimal: &#172;</p>
  <p>Using Direct Character: ¬</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Example: &not;P means NOT P</p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: ¬ is the clearest HTML form for U+00AC.

2. Hex: U+00AC → ¬ (or ¬) in HTML.

3. Decimal: same code point as 172 → ¬. Same glyph.

4. Direct: paste ¬ in a UTF-8 file with <meta charset="UTF-8">.

5. CSS: use padded \00AC in content (not an HTML entity). Padding avoids the next character being read as part of the hex escape.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with this logic entity.

Not !

ASCII `!` is different

In code, logical not is usually !. The typographic not sign is ¬ (U+00AC).

Not ~

Tilde is not negation here

ASCII ~ and &sim; have other math uses. For the classic not sign, use ¬.

CSS pad

Prefer `\00AC`

A short \AC can absorb the next hex digit. Pad to four digits: \00AC.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\00AC belongs in CSS. ¬ / ¬ / ¬ belong in HTML.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write ¬, not &not.

UTF-8

Declare charset

If you paste ¬ directly, serve the page as UTF-8 with <meta charset="UTF-8">.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Not sign (U+00AC) and its entity forms (¬, ¬, ¬, CSS \\00AC) are supported in all mainstream browsers.

✓ Universal support

Not Sign (¬)

Prefer ¬, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same glyph everywhere.

100% Browser coverage

Google Chrome Supported

Yes

Microsoft Edge Supported

Yes

Mozilla Firefox Supported

Yes

Apple Safari Supported

Yes

Opera Supported

Yes

Internet Explorer All versions

Yes

U+00AC / entities Full support

Bottom line: Prefer ¬ in HTML. Use ¬ / ¬ when a numeric form is required, and padded \\00AC only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Unicode: not sign is U+00AC (decimal 172), Latin-1 Supplement.
HTML: prefer ¬, or ¬ / ¬.
CSS: use padded \00AC inside content.
Meaning: logical negation — not ASCII ! or ~.

One line: U+00AC → ¬ / ¬ / ¬ / CSS \00AC.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display the not sign (¬) in HTML using entities?

Use ¬ (named), ¬ or ¬ (hex), ¬ (decimal), type ¬ in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \00AC in content. All render ¬.

What is the Unicode value for the not sign?

U+00AC (NOT SIGN). Hex AC / 00AC, decimal 172. It belongs to Latin-1 Supplement and is the classic logical negation symbol.

Is there a named HTML entity for ¬?

Yes. HTML5 defines ¬. You can also use ¬ or ¬.

When should I use the not sign HTML entity?

Use it in logic and math notation for negation (e.g. ¬P). Prefer ¬ for readable source. In programming languages, logical not is usually written as ! — that is ASCII, not U+00AC.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for ¬?

HTML entities (¬, ¬, or ¬) go in markup. The CSS escape \00AC is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Prefer the padded form \00AC so the next digit is not swallowed.

How is ¬ different from ! or ~?

! is ASCII exclamation (programming “not”). ~ is ASCII tilde (or other math uses). ¬ (U+00AC, ¬) is the dedicated not-sign character used in formal logic.

Did you know?

Not sign (¬) is Unicode U+00AC (decimal 172) — NOT SIGN in Latin-1 Supplement. HTML5 provides ¬. In logic, ¬P means “not P.” It is not the same as ASCII ! or tilde ~.

Next: Not Square Image Of Equal To

Learn the HTML entity for the next negated relation in this entity sequence.

Next tutorial →

About the author

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)

8 people found this page helpful

HTML Entity | Not Parallel To HTML Entity | Not Square Image Of Equal To