What’s the difference between HTML code and CSS entity for the Telephone Sign?

HTML numeric references (℡ or ℡) go in markup; the CSS escape \2121 goes in stylesheets (e.g. content on ::before/::after). Both render ℡.

HTML Entity for Telephone Sign (℡)

Q: How do I display the Telephone Sign (℡) in HTML?

Use ℡ (hex), ℡ (decimal), or \2121 in CSS content. There is no named HTML entity. All three methods render ℡.

Q: What is the Unicode value for the Telephone Sign?

U+2121 (hex 2121, decimal 8481). TELEPHONE SIGN in the Letterlike Symbols block—used for telephone and contact information.

Beginner

⏱️ 5 min read

📚 Updated: Jun 2026

🎯 1 Code Example

Unicode U+2121

HTML entity for Telephone Sign (U+2121) — hex, decimal, and CSS tutorial

What You'll Learn

How to display the Telephone Sign (℡) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+2121 (TELEPHONE SIGN) in the Letterlike Symbols block (U+2100–U+214F)—the classic “tel” symbol for phone numbers and contact information.

Render it with ℡, ℡, or CSS escape \2121. There is no named HTML entity. Do not confuse ℡ (telephone sign ℡) with ✆ (telephone location sign ✆, U+2706 in Dingbats) or ☎ (black telephone ☎, U+260E).

⚡ Quick Reference — Telephone Sign

Unicode U+2121

Letterlike Symbols

Hex Code ℡

Hexadecimal reference

HTML Code ℡

Decimal reference

Named Entity —

Use numeric codes only

Reference Table

Name           Value
────────────   ──────────
Unicode        U+2121
Hex code       &#x2121;
HTML code      &#8481;
Named entity   (none)
CSS code       \2121
Block          Letterlike Symbols (U+2100–U+214F)
Related        U+2706 = Telephone Location Sign (✆)

Complete HTML Example

This example demonstrates the Telephone Sign (℡) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape (no named entity):

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
 <style>
  #point:after{
   content: "\2121";
  }
 </style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Using Hexadecimal: &#x2121;</p>
<p>Using HTML Code: &#8481;</p>
<p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>

Try it Yourself

🌐 Browser Support

The Telephone Sign is supported in all modern browsers when fonts include Letterlike Symbols glyphs:

Chrome 1+

Firefox 1+

Safari 1+

Edge 12+

Opera 4+

Android 4.4+

iOS Safari 1+

👀 Live Preview

See the Telephone Sign (℡) in contact context and compared with related phone symbols:

Contact ℡ (555) 123-4567

Large glyph ℡

Phone symbols ℡ tel sign ✆ location ☎ black phone

Numeric refs ℡ ℡ \2121

🧠 How It Works

Hexadecimal Code

℡ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 2121 to display the Telephone Sign. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.

HTML markup

Decimal HTML Code

℡ uses the decimal Unicode value 8481 to display the same character.

HTML markup

CSS Entity

\2121 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.

CSS stylesheet

Same visual result

All three methods produce the glyph: ℡. Unicode U+2121 in the Letterlike Symbols block (U+2100–U+214F). No named entity.

✅

Use Cases

The Telephone Sign (℡) commonly appears in:

📱 Contact Pages

Phone numbers on business and personal sites.

📞 Customer Service

Support sections and help desk interfaces.

🏢 Business Sites

Corporate pages and professional footers.

🗺 Directories

Business listings and contact databases.

💬 Communication UI

Contact forms and messaging platforms.

📄 Marketing

Ads and promotional materials with phone info.

💻 Web Footers

Headers and navigation with contact details.

💡 Best Practices

Do

Use ℡ or ℡ for the tel sign glyph
Pair with <a href="tel:..."> for clickable phone links
Add aria-label="Telephone" or visible text for accessibility
Pick one style (hex or decimal) per project for consistency
Test rendering across browsers and fonts

Don’t

Confuse ℡ (tel sign) with ✆ (telephone location sign) or ☎ (black telephone)
Rely on the symbol alone without accessible labeling
Put CSS escape \2121 directly in HTML text nodes
Expect a named HTML entity for U+2121—use numeric references
Use HTML entities in JS (use \u2121 instead)

Key Takeaways

Two HTML references both render ℡

℡ ℡

For CSS stylesheets, use the escape in the content property

\2121

Unicode U+2121 — TELEPHONE SIGN

No named entity—use numeric references or CSS escape

Distinct from Dingbats ✆ and Miscellaneous Symbols ☎

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How do I display the Telephone Sign (℡) in HTML?

Use ℡ (hex), ℡ (decimal), or \2121 in CSS content. There is no named HTML entity. All three produce ℡.

What is the Unicode value for the Telephone Sign?

U+2121 (TELEPHONE SIGN). Letterlike Symbols block (U+2100–U+214F). Hex 2121, decimal 8481.

When should I use the Telephone Sign in HTML?

In contact pages, customer service sections, business websites, footers, directory listings, communication interfaces, and any content indicating telephone contact information.

What’s the difference between the Telephone Sign and the Telephone Location Sign?

℡ (U+2121) is TELEPHONE SIGN in Letterlike Symbols—a stylized “tel” mark. ✆ (U+2706) is TELEPHONE LOCATION SIGN in Dingbats—a different phone-with-location icon. Separate code points and glyphs.

Why is there no named HTML entity for the Telephone Sign?

Named HTML entities cover common ASCII, Latin-1, and select symbols (e.g. ™ for ™). Characters like ℡ in the Letterlike Symbols block use numeric hex or decimal references.

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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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