HTML Special Characters Reference & Encoder

Encode HTML special characters with visual reference. Convert symbols to entities. See character codes, names, and usage. Browser-based, instant.

Quick Encoder

Text with Special Characters

HTML Entities Output

HTML-Sensitive Characters (Required)

Common Symbols

Currency & Math

Typographic

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Frequently Asked Questions

HTML special characters are symbols that have special meaning in HTML (< > & " ') or common typographic symbols (© ™ € – —) that need encoding as entities for proper display or safety.

Use entities for HTML-sensitive characters (< > & " ') to prevent XSS and parsing issues. For typographic symbols and foreign characters, UTF-8 encoding is preferred over entities for readability.

Named entities use memorable names (© for ©). Numeric entities use Unicode code points (© or ©). Named entities are easier to read but numeric entities work for any Unicode character.

Only five are critical: < (< in content), > (> in content), & (& always), " (" in attributes), ' (' in attributes). Other symbols can use UTF-8 directly.

Modern HTML with UTF-8 charset can display €, £, ¥, ±, ×, ÷ directly. Use entities only if your document encoding doesn't support them or for compatibility with very old browsers.

Use " for double quotes inside double-quoted attributes, or ' (') for single quotes inside single-quoted attributes. Or just use the other quote type to avoid escaping.

No. JavaScript strings don't interpret HTML entities. Use Unicode escapes (\u00A9 for ©) or literal UTF-8 characters in JS. Entities are HTML/XML specific.

(non-breaking space) prevents line breaks and isn't collapsed by HTML whitespace rules. Regular spaces are collapsed and can break across lines. Use to keep words together.

Emoji are Unicode characters that render natively in UTF-8 HTML. They don't need entities (though numeric entities work: 😀 for 😀). Use emoji directly in modern HTML.

Yes. HTML Encode escapes all special characters in text for security. This tool provides a reference guide and quick encoder for individual symbols you want to use in HTML content.