Two Dot Punctuation (⁚) is the General Punctuation character at Unicode U+205A (TWO DOT PUNCTUATION). It is a specialized punctuation mark used in linguistic and scholarly typography.
Remember
Character ⁚
Unicode U+205A
Hex entity ⁚
Decimal ⁚
Named entity (none)
CSS escape \205A
Not the same ‥ (‥) · ⁘ (U+2058) · : (:)
Hex, decimal, CSS, and a typed character all produce the same glyph: ⁚. Prefer ⁚ when you want an explicit entity.
Using Hex Code: ⁚
Using HTML Code: ⁚
Using CSS Entity: ⁚
⁚ Specialized mark
How It Works
1. Hex:U+205A → ⁚ in HTML. The browser turns it into ⁚.
2. Decimal: same code point as 8282 → ⁚. Same result as hex.
3. Named: HTML5 does not define a named entity for this character — use hex or decimal instead.
4. CSS: use \205A in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ⁚ after the paragraph text.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with Two Dot Punctuation.
Look-alikes
⁚ ≠ ‥ ≠ :
U+205A is two-dot punctuation. ‥ is a TOC leader. : is the ordinary ASCII colon.
Named
No &…; name
Do not invent a name. Use ⁚ or ⁚.
Fonts
Glyph may be missing
General Punctuation coverage varies. Test on your target devices or provide a fallback font.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\205A belongs in CSS. ⁚ / ⁚ belong in HTML.
A11y
Add nearby words
Pair the glyph with label text (for example ⁚ Specialized mark) or use aria-label when it stands alone.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ⁚, not ⁚.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Two Dot Punctuation (U+205A) and its entity forms (⁚, ⁚, CSS \\205A) are supported in all modern browsers. Glyph coverage depends on the font.
✓ Universal encoding
Two Dot Punctuation (⁚)
Encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ⁚ directly in UTF-8 HTML. No named entity.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerIE 9+
Yes*
U+205AFull support
Bottom line: Prefer ⁚ for readable HTML. Use \\205A only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: this symbol is U+205A (decimal 8282).
HTML: prefer ⁚ — or use ⁚. No named entity.
CSS: use \205A inside content for generated text.
Watch out:U+205A ≠ ‥ ≠ :.
One line:U+205A → ⁚ / ⁚ / CSS \205A (no named entity).
Frequently Asked Questions
Use ⁚ (hex), ⁚ (decimal), or the CSS escape \205A in the content property. All render ⁚ when the font supports General Punctuation. There is no named HTML entity.
U+205A (TWO DOT PUNCTUATION). Hex 205A, decimal 8282. It belongs to General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F).
No. HTML5 does not define a named entity for U+205A. Use numeric references like ⁚ or ⁚.
Use it in linguistic, scholarly, or specialized typographic contexts when you need the two-dot punctuation mark — not a TOC leader or a regular colon. Prefer numeric entities when encoding must be explicit.
HTML entities (⁚ or ⁚) go in markup. The CSS escape \205A is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ⁚.
‥ (U+2025) is a two-dot leader for TOC-style spacing. The ASCII colon : (U+003A / :) is ordinary punctuation. U+205A is TWO DOT PUNCTUATION — a different specialized mark.
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Did you know?
Two Dot Punctuation is Unicode U+205A (decimal 8282) — TWO DOT PUNCTUATION. HTML5 has no named entity — use ⁚ or ⁚. Do not confuse it with two-dot leader ‥ (U+2025), four-dot punctuation U+2058 (⁘), or a plain colon : (U+003A).
