HTML Number Entities

Beginner

7 min read

Updated: Sep 2026

1 example

Digits, fractions, Roman

HTML number entities reference: digits, fractions, superscripts, and circled numerals

Definition

What Are HTML Number Entities?

HTML number entities are character references for number-shaped glyphs — ASCII digits, superscripts and subscripts, vulgar fractions, circled dingbat numerals, and Roman numeral code points.

Remember

Named (common)  &frac12; &frac14; &frac34; &sup1; &sup2; &sup3;
Digits          type 0–9 (or &#48;–&#57; when explicit)
Circled / CSS   &#x2776; · content: "\2776"
Prefer UTF-8    type the glyph when the whole toolchain is Unicode-safe

Prefer named forms when HTML defines them; use hex or decimal from the table when there is no short name. For operators and relations, see HTML Math Entities.

Reference

Quick Reference

Search by symbol, Unicode, hex, decimal, or entity name.

Symbol	Unicode	Hex code	HTML code	HTML entity
0	U+0030	0	0	-
1	U+0031	1	1	-
2	U+0032	2	2	-
3	U+0033	3	3	-
4	U+0034	4	4	-
5	U+0035	5	5	-
6	U+0036	6	6	-
7	U+0037	7	7	-
8	U+0038	8	8	-
9	U+0039	9	9	-
⁰	U+2070	⁰	⁰	-
¹	U+00B9	¹	¹	¹
²	U+00B2	²	²	²
³	U+00B3	³	³	³
⁴	U+2074	⁴	⁴	-
⁵	U+2075	⁵	⁵	-
⁶	U+2076	⁶	⁶	-
⁷	U+2077	⁷	⁷	-
⁸	U+2078	⁸	⁸	-
⁹	U+2079	⁹	⁹	-
₀	U+2080	₀	₀	-
₁	U+2081	₁	₁	-
₂	U+2082	₂	₂	-
₃	U+2083	₃	₃	-
₄	U+2084	₄	₄	-
₅	U+2085	₅	₅	-
₆	U+2086	₆	₆	-
₇	U+2087	₇	₇	-
₈	U+2088	₈	₈	-
₉	U+2089	₉	₉	-
❶	U+2776	❶	❶	-
❷	U+2777	❷	❷	-
❸	U+2778	❸	❸	-
❹	U+2779	❹	❹	-
❺	U+277A	❺	❺	-
❻	U+277B	❻	❻	-
❼	U+277C	❼	❼	-
❽	U+277D	❽	❽	-
❾	U+277E	❾	❾	-
❿	U+277F	❿	❿	-
➀	U+2780	➀	➀	-
➁	U+2781	➁	➁	-
➂	U+2782	➂	➂	-
➃	U+2783	➃	➃	-
➄	U+2784	➄	➄	-
➅	U+2785	➅	➅	-
➆	U+2786	➆	➆	-
➇	U+2787	➇	➇	-
➈	U+2788	➈	➈	-
➉	U+2789	➉	➉	-
➊	U+278A	➊	➊	-
➋	U+278B	➋	➋	-
➌	U+278C	➌	➌	-
➍	U+278D	➍	➍	-
➎	U+278E	➎	➎	-
➏	U+278F	➏	➏	-
➐	U+2790	➐	➐	-
➑	U+2791	➑	➑	-
➒	U+2792	➒	➒	-
➓	U+2793	➓	➓	-
↉	U+2189	↉	↉	-
¼	U+00BC	¼	¼	¼
½	U+00BD	½	½	½
¾	U+00BE	¾	¾	¾
⅐	U+2150	⅐	⅐	-
⅑	U+2151	⅑	⅑	-
⅒	U+2152	⅒	⅒	-
⅓	U+2153	⅓	⅓	&frac13;
⅔	U+2154	⅔	⅔	&frac23;
⅕	U+2155	⅕	⅕	&frac15;
⅖	U+2156	⅖	⅖	-
⅗	U+2157	⅗	⅗	&frac35;
⅘	U+2158	⅘	⅘	&frac45;
⅙	U+2159	⅙	⅙	&frac16;
⅚	U+215A	⅚	⅚	&frac56;
⅛	U+215B	⅛	⅛	&frac18;
⅜	U+215C	⅜	⅜	&frac38;
⅝	U+215D	⅝	⅝	&frac58;
⅞	U+215E	⅞	⅞	&frac78;
⅟	U+215F	⅟	⅟	-
Ⅰ	U+2160	Ⅰ	Ⅰ	-
Ⅱ	U+2161	Ⅱ	Ⅱ	-
Ⅲ	U+2162	Ⅲ	Ⅲ	-
Ⅳ	U+2163	Ⅳ	Ⅳ	-
Ⅴ	U+2164	Ⅴ	Ⅴ	-
Ⅵ	U+2165	Ⅵ	Ⅵ	-
Ⅶ	U+2166	Ⅶ	Ⅶ	-
Ⅷ	U+2167	Ⅷ	Ⅷ	-
Ⅸ	U+2168	Ⅸ	Ⅸ	-
Ⅹ	U+2169	Ⅹ	Ⅹ	-
Ⅺ	U+216A	Ⅺ	Ⅺ	-
Ⅻ	U+216B	Ⅻ	Ⅻ	-
Ⅼ	U+216C	Ⅼ	Ⅼ	-
Ⅽ	U+216D	Ⅽ	Ⅽ	-
Ⅾ	U+216E	Ⅾ	Ⅾ	-
Ⅿ	U+216F	Ⅿ	Ⅿ	-
ⅰ	U+2170	ⅰ	ⅰ	-
ⅱ	U+2171	ⅱ	ⅱ	-
ⅲ	U+2172	ⅲ	ⅲ	-
ⅳ	U+2173	ⅳ	ⅳ	-
ⅴ	U+2174	ⅴ	ⅴ	-
ⅵ	U+2175	ⅵ	ⅵ	-
ⅶ	U+2176	ⅶ	ⅶ	-
ⅷ	U+2177	ⅷ	ⅷ	-
ⅸ	U+2178	ⅸ	ⅸ	-
ⅹ	U+2179	ⅹ	ⅹ	-
ⅺ	U+217A	ⅺ	ⅺ	-
ⅻ	U+217B	ⅻ	ⅻ	-
ⅼ	U+217C	ⅼ	ⅼ	-
ⅽ	U+217D	ⅽ	ⅽ	-
ⅾ	U+217E	ⅾ	ⅾ	-
ⅿ	U+217F	ⅿ	ⅿ	-
ↀ	U+2180	ↀ	ↀ	-
ↁ	U+2181	ↁ	ↁ	-
ↂ	U+2182	ↂ	ↂ	-
Ↄ	U+2183	Ↄ	Ↄ	-
ↄ	U+2184	ↄ	ↄ	-
ↅ	U+2185	ↅ	ↅ	-
ↆ	U+2186	ↆ	ↆ	-

When to Use Which

Situation	Use
Ordinary digits 0–9	Type them directly (UTF-8)
Common fractions	`½`, `¼`, `¾`, `&frac13;`, `&frac23;`
Superscripts ¹ ² ³	`¹`, `²`, `³`
Other superscripts / subscripts	Hex / decimal from the table above
Circled dingbat numerals	`❶` or CSS `content: "\2776"`
Complex equations	MathML or KaTeX / MathJax — not entities alone

See it

Live Preview

Common number glyphs from character references.

Digits and superscripts 0–9 · 10² m³

Vulgar fractions ½ ¼ ¾ ⅓ ⅔

Dingbat circled ❶ ❷ ❸ ❹ ❺

Roman (Unicode) Ⅹ Ⅺ Ⅻ ⅰ ⅱ

Large type ½ ❶ Ⅰ

Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows digit references, named fractions and superscripts, and a CSS circled numeral. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Digits + Fractions + Superscripts + CSS

Explicit digit refs, named fractions, powers, and a stylesheet-injected circled one.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>HTML Number Entities</title>
  <style>
    .circled-one::after {
      content: "\2776";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Digits (decimal refs): &#48;&#49;&#50;</p>
  <p>Fractions: &frac12; &frac14; &frac34;</p>
  <p>Powers: 10&sup2; m&sup3;</p>
  <p>Circled via CSS: <span class="circled-one"></span></p>
</body>
</html>

Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Digits: 0–2 are explicit decimal references for 0–2. Typing 012 is usually better for normal text.

2. Named: ½, ¼, ¾, ², and ³ are HTML named references for common fractions and superscripts.

3. CSS: \2776 in content injects circled digit one (U+2776). Escapes belong in stylesheets, not as HTML entities.

4. Same glyph: named, hex, decimal, CSS, and typed UTF-8 all resolve to the same Unicode character when the code point matches.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with number entities.

Named

Prefer names when available

½ and ² are clearer than numeric forms. Use the table for symbols without a short HTML5 name.

Digits

Type 0–9 by default

Entities for ASCII digits are optional teaching tools — not required for ordinary body text.

Font

Dingbat coverage varies

Circled numerals need fonts that include Dingbats. Test on target devices.

A11y

Pair glyphs with text

Do not rely on circled dingbats alone for “step 1” — keep accessible text nearby.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\2776 belongs in CSS. ❶ / ❶ belong in HTML.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write ½ and ½, not bare forms.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Named and numeric number character references work in all mainstream browsers with UTF-8 documents. Visible glyphs for dingbats and Number Forms depend on font coverage.

✓ Universal support

HTML Number Entities

Encode with named, hex, decimal, CSS escape, or type the character — same code point everywhere encoding is supported.

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

Number entities Full support

Bottom line: Prefer named entities when listed. Type ASCII digits directly. Use numeric forms from the table for circled and Roman forms. Use CSS escapes only inside content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

Named: ½, ¼, ², ³.
Numeric: use hex / decimal from the Quick Reference for circled and Roman forms.
CSS: use escapes such as \2776 inside content for generated text.
Default: type ASCII digits; save entities for special number glyphs.

One line: named when available → numeric from the table → CSS escape only in content.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are HTML number entities?

Character references for number-shaped glyphs: digits, superscripts and subscripts, vulgar fractions, circled numerals, Roman numerals, and related forms. They use the same &name;, &#…;, and &#x…; mechanisms as any other HTML entity.

How do I show superscript 2 or 3 in HTML?

Use ² and ³, or ² / ² and ³ / ³. For other superscripts and all subscripts, copy hex or decimal from the Quick Reference table.

How do I display vulgar fractions like one half?

Named entities include ½, ¼, ¾, &frac13;, and &frac23;. Otherwise use the numeric codes from the same table row.

How do circled numbers work in HTML?

Each circled dingbat is a single Unicode character (for example U+2776). Use ❶ or the decimal value from the table, or inject it via CSS content with a matching escape such as \2776.

What is the difference between HTML code and CSS for number symbols?

HTML entities go in markup. CSS uses backslash hex in content on ::before/::after (for example \2776 for a circled one). Prefer HTML for body text and CSS when the design injects the glyph.

Should I use entities for ordinary digits 0–9?

Usually no — type them directly in UTF-8. Use 0–9 only when you need explicit encoding (restricted pipelines, teaching markup).

Did you know?

Common number glyphs have short HTML5 names — ½, ¼, ¾, ¹, ², ³. ASCII digits usually need no entity. Circled dingbats and many Roman forms use numeric references from the table.

Next: Punctuation Entities

Continue to HTML punctuation entities — quotes, dashes, and related forms.

Punctuation Entities 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)

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HTML Math Entities HTML Punctuation Entities

HTML Number Entities

What Are HTML Number Entities?

Quick Reference

When to Use Which

Live Preview

Complete HTML Example

Digits + Fractions + Superscripts + CSS

How It Works

Pitfalls & Tips

Prefer names when available

Type 0–9 by default

Dingbat coverage varies

Pair glyphs with text

Do not mix escapes

End references

Browser Support

HTML Number Entities

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

Did you know?

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HTML Entities

Math Entities

Punctuation Entities

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Next: Punctuation Entities

About the author