HTML

HTML entities are special codes used to display reserved characters, symbols, or invisible characters in a web browser. They are particularly useful when you want to display characters that have special meanings in HTML or are not available on a standard keyboard.

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1. What Are HTML Entities?

• HTML entities begin with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;).
• For example:
  • < represents <
  • > represents >

Why Use HTML Entities?

• To display reserved characters (like < or >).
• To include non-keyboard characters (like © or €).
• To ensure proper rendering across different browsers.

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2. Common HTML Entities

Reserved Characters

These characters have special meanings in HTML and need to be represented as entities:

Character	Entity Name	Entity Number	Description
<	&lt;	&#60;	Less than
>	&gt;	&#62;	Greater than
&	&amp;	&#38;	Ampersand
"	&quot;	&#34;	Double quote
'	&apos;	&#39;	Single quote

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Symbols

Character	Entity Name	Entity Number	Description
©	©	©	Copyright symbol
®	®	®	Registered trademark
€	€	€	Euro sign
£	£	£	British pound sign
¥	¥	¥	Japanese yen sign
¢	¢	¢	Cent sign
÷	÷	÷	Division sign
×	×	×	Multiplication sign

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Mathematical Entities

Character	Entity Name	Entity Number	Description
≤	≤	≤	Less than or equal
≥	≥	≥	Greater than or equal
±	±	±	Plus-minus
√	√	√	Square root
∞	∞	∞	Infinity
≈	≈	≈	Approximately equal

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Arrow Entities

Character	Entity Name	Entity Number	Description
←	←	←	Left arrow
→	→	→	Right arrow
↑	↑	↑	Up arrow
↓	↓	↓	Down arrow

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3. How to Use HTML Entities

HTML entities can be used anywhere in HTML content, such as inside text, attributes, or titles.

Example 1: Display Reserved Characters

<p>Use &lt;h1&gt; for main headings.</p>

Output:
Use <h1> for main headings.

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Example 2: Display Symbols

<p>&copy; 2025 My Company. All rights reserved.</p>

Output:
© 2025 My Company. All rights reserved.

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Example 3: Mathematical Symbols

<p>The result of 5 &times; 4 is 20.</p>

Output:
The result of 5 × 4 is 20.

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4. Invisible Characters

HTML entities can also represent invisible characters like spaces or non-breaking spaces.

Non-breaking Space ( )

• Prevents text from breaking into a new line.

<p>Hello,&nbsp;world!</p>

Output:
Hello, world!
(No line break allowed between “Hello,” and “world!”)

En Space and Em Space

Character	Entity Name	Description
	 	En space (half space)
	 	Em space (full space)

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5. Combining Entities

You can mix multiple HTML entities to display complex content.

<p>&lt;div&gt; represents a block-level element. &copy; 2025</p>

Output:
<div> represents a block-level element. © 2025

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6. Unicode Characters

HTML entities also support Unicode for a vast range of characters and symbols. Use &#x followed by the hexadecimal Unicode value.

Example:

<p>&#x1F600; represents a smiley face.</p>

Output:
😀 represents a smiley face.

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7. Browser Support

HTML entities are supported in all major browsers. However, always test special characters to ensure proper rendering.

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8. Tips for Using HTML Entities

• Use when necessary: Most browsers handle special characters well, so only use entities for reserved or uncommon symbols.
• Check compatibility: Test complex entities across devices and browsers.
• Readable code: Replace entities with symbols when they don’t conflict with HTML syntax to keep code clean.

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9. Summary Table

Here’s a quick summary of commonly used HTML entities:

Symbol	Entity Name	Entity Number
&	&	&
<	&lt;	&#60;
>	&gt;	&#62;
©	&copy;	&#169;
®	&reg;	&#174;
£	&pound;	&#163;
€	&euro;	&#8364;
±	&plusmn;	&#177;

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Using HTML entities effectively ensures that your content is displayed as intended and remains accessible across various platforms. Whether you’re creating a simple webpage or a complex web application, understanding HTML entities is a fundamental skill for every web developer.