SymbolHub

Ampersand (&)

The ampersand & is Unicode U+0026, the typographic ligature of the Latin letters "et" meaning "and". Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+0026
HTML
&
Word
0026 Alt+X

How to type the ampersand (&)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type & yourself, use the method for your device below.

Windows

  1. In Word or Outlook, type 0026 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Ampersand, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for ampersand and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 0026.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 26, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Copy & from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;ampe. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. Copy & here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 0026, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 0026 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Insert → Special characters, then search for “ampersand” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(38) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write & or & in your HTML.

What does & mean?

The & symbol, officially named AMPERSAND in Unicode (U+0026), is one of the oldest and most widely used ligatures in the Latin writing system. Its form originated in ancient Rome as a cursive handwritten ligature of the Latin letters e and t, spelling "et", the Latin word for "and". Roman scribes linked the letters together to accelerate transcription speed. Over centuries of Renaissance calligraphy and typography, the Roman ligature evolved into the familiar modern ampersand design, where the crossbar of the t and loop of the e blend into a decorative calligraphic flourish.

The unusual name "ampersand" is an English linguistic corruption dating back to the early nineteenth century. When reciting the alphabet in British schoolrooms, any letter that could also function alone as an independent word (such as A, I, and the symbol &) was traditionally recited with the Latin phrase per se, meaning "by itself". Thus, the alphabet concluded: "X, Y, Z, and per se and", which children slurred together through fast recitation into the single compound word "ampersand".

In contemporary digital writing, & is widely featured in corporate titles (such as Barnes & Noble), business partnerships, and formal citations. In computer programming languages including C, C++, Java, and JavaScript, the ampersand serves vital operational duties: a single & denotes bitwise AND or memory address reference, while the double ampersand && represents logical conjunction. In HTML and XML, the ampersand begins all character entities (such as © or &). Compare the character with the at sign @, the vertical bar |, and the hashtag symbol # in our comprehensive keyboard symbols directory.

Common uses

  • Corporate branding and firm partnerships: Tiffany & Co., Ben & Jerry's, and legal partnerships
  • Programming logic: double ampersand && represents logical AND in JavaScript, Python, C++, and Java
  • Web development: starting entity escape sequences in HTML and XML like < and &
  • Academic citations: linking co-authors in APA and Harvard reference lists (e.g., Smith & Jones, 2024)

Ampersand codes for HTML, CSS and programming

Every code below produces &. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.

Unicode code pointU+0026
HTML entity (named)&
HTML decimal&
HTML hex&
CSS contentcontent: "\26";
JavaScript"\u0026"
Python"\u0026"
Python (by name)"\N{AMPERSAND}"
Java / C#"\u0026"
UTF-8 bytes26
UTF-160026
URL encoded%26

& vs look-alike characters

These characters look similar to & but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.

CharNameWhen to use it
Turned Ampersand
U+214B		Turned ampersand, an upside-down ampersand used in linear logic.
Section
U+00A7		Section sign, an intertwined double-S symbol used for legal statute numbering.
Small Ampersand
U+FE60		Small ampersand, a reduced-size variation used in East Asian typography.
Fullwidth Ampersand
U+FF06		Fullwidth ampersand, standard in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean character sets.

Symbols similar to &

Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full punctuation symbols collection.

& character properties

Official Unicode name
AMPERSAND
Also known as
and sign, et ligature, and symbol, short and, ampersand symbol
Code point
U+0026
Unicode block
Basic Latin (U+0000–U+007F)
General category
Other punctuation (Po)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
No, it is a text symbol

Frequently asked questions

Where does the word "ampersand" come from?

The word is a contraction of the phrase "and per se and", which nineteenth-century schoolchildren recited at the conclusion of the alphabet: X, Y, Z, and per se and (meaning "and the symbol by itself means and").

How do I safely display an ampersand in HTML?

Because the ampersand initiates HTML entities, a raw & in web code can trigger parser errors. Always escape literal ampersands as & or numeric reference & in website source code.

Can I use an ampersand in formal academic essays?

In formal prose, standard style manuals such as Chicago and APA advise spelling out the word "and" in body paragraphs, reserving the ampersand exclusively for parenthetical citations, tables, and official corporate names.

What is the alt code for the ampersand?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 38 on the numeric keypad to get &. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 0026 then Alt + X in Word.

How do I type the ampersand on a Mac?

There is no single Option shortcut for & on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “ampersand” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the ampersand?

Use the named entity & or the numeric reference & (hex &). All three display & in every browser.

What is the Unicode for the ampersand?

& is U+0026, officially named AMPERSAND, in the Basic Latin block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).