HTML Entity for Pound Sign (£)
What You'll Learn
How to display the pound sign (£) in HTML using various entity methods. The pound symbol represents British pound sterling (GBP) in pricing, finance, and e-commerce content.
This character is part of the Latin-1 Supplement Unicode block and can be rendered with a hexadecimal reference, a decimal reference, the named entity £, or a CSS escape in the content property. Do not confuse £ with # (U+0023, number sign)—in US English “pound” sometimes means hash, but they are different characters.
⚡ Quick Reference — Pound Sign Entity
U+00A3Latin-1 Supplement block
£Hexadecimal reference
£Decimal reference
£Most readable option
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+00A3
Hex code £
HTML code £
Named entity £
CSS code \A3
Meaning Pound sign (GBP currency)
Related U+0024 = dollar sign ($)
U+20AC = euro sign (€)
U+0023 = number sign (#)
Block Latin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF)Complete HTML Example
A simple example showing £ using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point::after{
content: "\A3";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Pound (hex): £19.99</p>
<p>Pound (decimal): £19.99</p>
<p>Pound (named): £19.99</p>
<p>Pound (CSS): <span id="point"></span>19.99</p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The pound sign entity is universally supported in all modern browsers:
👀 Live Preview
See the pound sign rendered live in different contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
£ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value A3 to display the pound sign. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
£ uses the decimal Unicode value 163 to display the same character. This is one of the most commonly used methods.
CSS Entity
\A3 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.
Named Entity
£ is the semantic named entity — the easiest to read in source HTML and the standard choice for GBP currency markup.
Same visual result
All four methods produce the pound glyph: £. Unicode U+00A3 sits in the Latin-1 Supplement block (U+0080–U+00FF).
Use Cases
The pound sign (£) commonly appears in the following scenarios:
Product prices, carts, and checkout totals in British pounds.
Invoices, statements, exchange rates, and financial reports.
Localized pricing for UK audiences and GBP currency display.
Entity reference pages and tutorials showing explicit £ markup.
Dropdown labels and settings for GBP in multi-currency apps.
News articles, travel guides, and cost-of-living comparisons.
Pair £ with “GBP” or “pounds” in screen-reader-friendly price text.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use
£for readable GBP currency markup - Place the symbol before the amount:
£19.99 - Use
lang="en-GB"on UK-localized pages when appropriate - Pick one style (hex / decimal / named) per project
- Consider
Intl.NumberFormatfor dynamic locale-aware formatting
Don’t
- Confuse £ (U+00A3, GBP) with # (U+0023, number/hash sign)
- Use
GBPand £ redundantly without need—pick a clear style - Use CSS escape
\A3inside HTML text nodes - Assume UTF-8 alone fixes locale—use proper currency formatting for amounts
- Mix entity styles randomly in one file
Key Takeaways
Three HTML references all render £
£ £ £For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property
\A3Unicode U+00A3 belongs to the Latin-1 Supplement block (U+0080–U+00FF)
Prefer £ for readability—standard named entity for British sterling
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
£ (hex), £ (decimal), £ (named), or \A3 in CSS content. All produce £.U+00A3 (POUND SIGN). Latin-1 Supplement block. Hex A3, decimal 163. Denotes British pound sterling (GBP).£, £, and £ are equivalent in modern browsers and all render £.Explore More HTML Entities!
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