Check marks, crosses and boxes
A check mark says "done" or "yes" faster than any word. These symbols are handy for to-do lists, packing lists, product comparisons, notes and quick replies, and they work in almost every app and document.
Which tick to use
- ✓ and ✔ are the light and heavy check marks. They take the colour of your text, so they look neat in a list.
- ✅ is the green emoji version, good when you want colour.
- ☑ and ☐ are a ticked and an empty ballot box, ideal for checklists.
- ✗, ✘ and ❌ mean no, wrong or not done.
A simple checklist
☑ Book tickets
☑ Pack charger
☐ Print boarding pass
In a comparison, ✓ and ✗ make a quick yes-or-no table that's easy to scan.
Typing a check mark yourself
On a phone, many keyboards show ✓ when you type "check" in the emoji search. On Windows, you can open the emoji panel with the Windows key and the full stop. On a Mac, press Control, Command and Space to open the character viewer. Copying from this page works everywhere, which is usually quickest.
For more list markers, see bullet point symbols and arrows.
Ticks around the world
In many countries a tick ✓ means correct or done and a cross ✗ means wrong, but not everywhere. On school work in Sweden and Finland, a tick can mark a wrong answer, and in Japan a circle ○ usually means correct. In lists and forms, though, ✓ and ☑ are understood almost everywhere as "done" or "yes".
Text tick or emoji tick?
Text check marks ✓ ✔ take the colour of your writing, so they look tidy in documents, emails and spreadsheets. The emoji versions ✅ ❌ are bright and colourful, which works well in chats and social posts but can look loud in a formal document. If a check mark needs to print clearly in black and white, use the text version.
Tick, check icon and right mark
A tick is the same thing as a check mark, and a right mark is simply the ✓ that shows an answer is correct. For a check icon on Facebook or in a chat, copy it from the grid. It will look the same everywhere.