HTML Entity for Spacing Macron (¯)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Spacing Macron (¯) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, named entity, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+00AF (MACRON) in the Latin-1 Supplement block (U+0080–U+00FF)—a standalone horizontal diacritical mark used in linguistics and typography to indicate long vowels or stress.
Render it with ¯, ¯, the named entity ¯, or CSS escape \00AF. Do not confuse U+00AF with U+0304 (̄, combining macron)—see the Combining Macron tutorial for the attachable mark used above base letters.
⚡ Quick Reference — Spacing Macron
U+00AFLatin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF)
¯Hexadecimal reference
¯Decimal reference
¯Standard HTML named entity
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+00AF
Hex code ¯
HTML code ¯
Named entity ¯
CSS code \00AF
Type Spacing diacritical mark
Not the same U+0304 = combining macron (̄)
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: "\00AF";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Spacing macron (hex): ¯</p>
<p>Spacing macron (decimal): ¯</p>
<p>Spacing macron (named): ¯</p>
<p id="point">Spacing macron (CSS): </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Spacing Macron (¯) is widely supported in all modern browsers:
👀 Live Preview
See the Spacing Macron (¯) in linguistic and notation contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
¯ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 00AF to display the spacing macron.
Decimal HTML Code
¯ uses the decimal Unicode value 175 for the same character.
Named Entity
¯ is the standard HTML named entity for U+00AF—readable and widely supported in linguistic markup.
CSS Entity
\00AF is used in CSS stylesheets in the content property of pseudo-elements for decorative macron markers.
Same visual result
All four methods render ¯. Unicode U+00AF in Latin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF).
Use Cases
The Spacing Macron (¯) commonly appears in:
Dictionaries and language docs showing long-vowel or stress marks.
IPA and pronunciation guides referencing macron placement.
Research on Māori, Latin, and other languages using macron diacritics.
Language-learning tutorials explaining vowel length notation.
Character-set references and encoding guides.
Design systems documenting Latin diacritical symbols.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use
¯when readability matters in HTML source - For letters with macrons, prefer precomposed UTF-8 or combining U+0304
- Set
<meta charset="utf-8">for reliable rendering - Distinguish spacing macron ¯ from combining macron ̄
- Pick one reference style per project for consistency
Don’t
- Confuse U+00AF (¯,
¯) with U+0304 (combining macron) - Use padded Unicode notation like U+000AF—the correct value is
U+00AF - Use CSS escape
\00AFin HTML text nodes - Use ¯ alone when you need a full letter such as ā (a with macron)
- Assume every font renders the macron identically—test your typeface
Key Takeaways
Four ways to render U+00AF in HTML and CSS
¯ ¯For CSS stylesheets, use \00AF in the content property
Unicode U+00AF — MACRON / SPACING MACRON (¯)
U+0304 is the combining macron—different from ¯
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
¯ (hex), ¯ (decimal), ¯ (named), or \00AF in CSS content. All four render ¯.U+00AF (MACRON). Latin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF). Hex 00AF, decimal 175, named ¯.¯. ̄ (U+0304) is a combining mark that attaches above a base letter. For precomposed letters like ā, use UTF-8 or ā directly.¯ is more readable in source markup. Numeric codes (¯ or ¯) are explicit and work everywhere. Both produce the same glyph (¯).Explore More HTML Entities!
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