Uppercase I Iota (Ɩ) is the Unicode character at U+0196 (LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IOTA) in Latin Extended-B. It is a Latin phonetic letter — not Greek iota and not ordinary capital I.
Remember
Character Ɩ
Unicode U+0196
Hex entity Ɩ
Decimal Ɩ
CSS escape \0196
Named entity (none)
Official name LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IOTA
Lowercase U+0269 (ɩ)
Not Greek U+0399 (Ι)
All of these produce the same glyph: Ɩ. Compare with ordinary Uppercase I (U+0049) and Greek Ι (U+0399).
Using Hex Code: Ɩ
Using HTML Code: Ɩ
Using CSS Entity: Ɩ
Typed directly: Ɩ
Compare: I Ɩ Ι ι
How It Works
1. Hex:U+0196 → Ɩ in HTML. The browser turns it into the glyph.
2. Decimal: same code point as 406 → Ɩ. Same result as hex.
3. CSS: use \0196 in content (not an HTML entity). The four-digit form avoids ambiguity with following hex digits.
4. Compare: plain I, Latin Ɩ, and Greek Ι / ι are different characters.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with this character.
Named?
No Latin named entity
HTML5 does not define a named entity for U+0196. Use numeric forms. Ι is Greek (U+0399), not Latin.
Look-alikes
Not plain I
U+0196 is Latin capital iota. Do not replace it with U+0049 when phonetic accuracy matters.
Greek
Latin ≠ Greek iota
U+0196 (Ɩ) is Latin. U+0399 / Ι (Ι) and U+03B9 / ι (ι) are Greek. Do not swap scripts.
Case
Use the correct case pair
Lowercase Latin iota is U+0269 (ɩ / ɩ).
CSS
Prefer a four-digit escape
Use \0196 (not bare \196) so a following digit is not absorbed into the escape.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write Ɩ, not Ɩ.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Uppercase I Iota / LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IOTA (U+0196) and its numeric entity forms (Ɩ, Ɩ, CSS \\0196) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph shape depends on Latin Extended-B font coverage.
✓ Universal support
Uppercase I Iota
Encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or paste the character in UTF-8 HTML.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+0196 / entitiesFull support
Bottom line: Use Ɩ or Ɩ for the Unicode glyph, and \\0196 only inside CSS content. Prefer fonts with Latin Extended-B support.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: this character is U+0196 (decimal 406) — LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IOTA.
HTML: use Ɩ or Ɩ — not Ι.
CSS: use \0196 inside content for generated text.
Watch out: U+0196 ≠ U+0049 (I) ≠ U+0399 (Ι).
One line:U+0196 → Ɩ / Ɩ / CSS \0196.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use Ɩ (hex), Ɩ (decimal), or the CSS escape \0196 in the content property. All render U+0196. You can also paste the character directly when your file is UTF-8.
U+0196 (hex 0196, decimal 406). Unicode names it LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IOTA. It belongs to Latin Extended-B and is used in phonetic and linguistic notation.
No. HTML5 does not define a named entity for Latin capital iota. Use numeric references like Ɩ or Ɩ. Note: Ι is Greek capital iota (U+0399), not this character.
U+0196 is Latin capital iota (Ɩ). U+0049 is ordinary capital I. U+0399 is Greek capital iota (Ι / Ι). They are different characters for different scripts.
The case pair is U+0269 (LATIN SMALL LETTER IOTA, ɩ). Use ɩ or ɩ.
HTML entities (Ɩ or Ɩ) go in markup. The CSS escape \0196 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render the same glyph.
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Did you know?
This character is Unicode U+0196 (decimal 406) — official name LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IOTA in Latin Extended-B. HTML5 has no named entity for it. Do not use Ι — that is Greek capital iota (U+0399). Its lowercase Latin pair is U+0269.
