📚 HTML Entity Reference
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📊 Key Data Points
& < >
The three most important HTML entities — required for displaying literal & < > characters
© —
Common typographic entities — copyright symbol, em dash, non-breaking space
Named vs numeric
Named entities like © are more readable; numeric like © work in any HTML version
HTML Entity Reference -- Complete USA Guide 2026
HTML entities are the encoded representations of characters that have special meaning in HTML (< for <, & for &) or that are not easily typed on a keyboard (© for copyright, — for em dash). This reference lists all named HTML entities with their characters and code points.
Runs in your browser with instant search.
**Long-tail searches answered here:** html entity reference chart free, html special characters list browser, html entity codes for symbols online.
For encoding/decoding, use HTML Encoder.
🔬 How This Calculator Works
A complete reference of all named HTML entities from the HTML5 specification. Each entry shows: the entity name (©), the numeric code point (©), the hex form (©), the actual character, and the Unicode name. The search filters by entity name, character, or Unicode name in real time.
✅ What You Can Calculate
Complete HTML5 entity list
All named HTML entities from the HTML5 specification in one searchable reference — not just the common ones.
Multi-format display
Shows named entity (©), numeric (©), and hex (©) forms for each character — use whichever form your codebase uses.
Character search
Search by the actual character (type the copyright symbol) or by the entity name to find the encoding.
One-click copy
Click any entity to copy it to clipboard in your preferred format (named, numeric, or hex).
🎯 Real Scenarios & Use Cases
Inserting special characters in HTML
Need a copyright symbol, trademark, arrow, or mathematical symbol in your HTML? Search here for the correct entity name instead of googling.
Typography in web content
Em dashes, en dashes, smart quotes, and non-breaking spaces all have HTML entities. Use this reference to insert them correctly without copy-paste from Word.
Avoiding encoding issues
Some characters outside the ASCII range must be entity-encoded in HTML to display correctly across all browsers and character sets.
HTML template writing
When writing HTML templates with special characters, this reference is faster than memorizing rarely-used entity names.
💡 Pro Tips for Accurate Results
Named entities are more readable. © is clearer than © in HTML source. Use named entities for common characters where a name exists, numeric for obscure Unicode characters without standard names.
is not a regular space. Non-breaking space (U+00A0) prevents line breaks between adjacent words. Use it for number-unit combinations (10 px) and proper nouns that should not break across lines.
MDash vs ndash. Em dash (— —) is for parenthetical phrases. En dash (– –) is for ranges (pages 10–20). Hyphen (-) is for compound words. These are often confused.
Entities in XML. Named entities other than & < > " ' are not defined in XML 1.0. For XML, use numeric entities or ensure your document declares the HTML entity set.
🔗 Use These Together
🏁 Bottom Line
HTML entities are the correct way to include special characters in HTML source code. This reference covers the complete HTML5 entity set with one-click copy. For encoding user input: HTML Encoder.
What are the most commonly needed HTML entities?
The must-know set: & for &, < for <, > for >, " for double-quote, ' for apostrophe — the five required escapes. Typographic: — for em-dash, – for en-dash, ‘ ’ for curly single quotes, “ ” for curly double quotes, … for ellipsis, • for bullet. Legal: © for ©, ® for ®, ™ for ™. Math: ° for °, ± for ±, × for ×, ÷ for ÷, ≠ for ≠. Non-breaking: . Currency: € for €, £ for £, ¥ for ¥.
What is the difference between – and —?
En dash (–, –) is used for numeric ranges like pages 10–20 or years 1990–2000. Em dash (—, —) is used for parenthetical statements—like this one—that interrupt a sentence, or abrupt changes in thought. A hyphen (-) is different from both: it joins hyphenated compound words and provides line-break hints. All three are distinct Unicode characters with different widths and typographic meanings.
Do I need HTML entities for accented characters like é and ü?
No — in modern UTF-8 HTML5 you can use the actual Unicode characters directly. Just declare <meta charset="UTF-8"> in your <head> and type or paste é, ü, ñ, Japanese, Arabic, or emoji directly in your HTML. HTML entity equivalents like é are only necessary when you cannot save files in UTF-8, or when you prefer ASCII-safe source code. The entity form is always valid; direct Unicode is simpler.
What is the difference between   and ?
They are identical — both represent the non-breaking space character (Unicode U+00A0).   is the decimal numeric reference,   is hexadecimal, and is the named entity. All three produce the same character. Named entities are more readable in source. Numeric entities work for any Unicode character regardless of whether a named entity exists.
How do I type HTML entities in my code editor efficiently?
Most editors support snippets: type amp and expand to & etc. VS Code has built-in HTML entity snippets in HTML mode, and Emmet handles common insertions. The practical workflow: memorise the 5 required entities (< > & " ') and common typographic ones (— – ©). For infrequent characters, look them up here then copy-paste the actual Unicode character — cleaner than entity syntax in UTF-8 files.
Are HTML entities the same as XML entities?
Mostly — XML supports a subset. Both share & < > ' " as required entities. Named entities beyond these five (— © ) are HTML-specific and not valid in bare XML. XHTML requires explicit DTD declaration of HTML entities. HTML5 supports all named entities. In XML you define custom entities in the DTD. Most developers use an XML library that handles entities automatically rather than writing them manually.
What other HTML tools are on this site?
The HTML Encoder escapes individual strings into entity format. The HTML Validator checks your HTML for structural errors. The HTML to Markdown converter strips tags and converts structure to Markdown. The Character Encoder provides Unicode code point information. The Meta Tag Generator produces the HTML for SEO and social tags. All are in the Dev Tools section.