Common signs in one place
Some signs come up all the time, in documents, product listings, recipes, school work and emails, yet they're hidden behind awkward shortcuts. This page puts the most useful ones a single tap away.
What they mean
| Sign | Name | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| © | Copyright | Showing who owns a creative work: © 2026 Studio Name |
| ® | Registered | A trademark that has been officially registered |
| ™ | Trademark | A brand name or logo being claimed as a trademark |
| ℠ | Service mark | Like ™, but for services |
| ° | Degree | Temperatures and angles: 21°C, 90° |
| § and ¶ | Section and pilcrow | Legal sections and paragraph marks |
| — and – | Em dash and en dash | A break in a sentence, and ranges like 9–5 |
| … | Ellipsis | A single character for three dots |
| ‽ | Interrobang | A question and exclamation in one |
A note on ® and ™
Copying a symbol is easy, but using ® correctly has rules: in many countries it should only be used for trademarks that are actually registered. ™ can generally be used for a name you're claiming as a brand. If it matters for your business, check the rules where you live.
Keyboard shortcuts
- Mac: Option + G gives ©, Option + R gives ®, Option + 2 gives ™, and Shift + Option + 8 gives °.
- Windows: the emoji panel (Windows key + full stop) has a symbols tab with most of these.
- Phones: press and hold some keys, like the hyphen for dashes, to see extra characters.
For the and symbol and its fancy versions, see the ampersand page. For list markers, try bullet points.
Dashes are not all the same
The hyphen (-) joins words like "well-known". The en dash (–) shows ranges, like 9–5 or pages 10–20. The em dash (—) marks a break in a sentence. Using the right one makes writing look more polished, and copying them from here is easier than remembering keyboard shortcuts.
Degrees and temperatures
For temperatures, you can write the degree sign and the letter (21°C) or use the single-character symbols ℃ and ℉. The two-character version is more common and easier for search engines and screen readers to understand.
Infinity, trade mark and cent signs
This page also has everyday signs people ask for by name: the infinity sign ∞, the trade mark ™, the cents icon ¢ and the correct sign ✓ for answers and lists. Copy one and paste it into a document, a price tag or a post.