Caret Symbol (^)
The caret symbol ^ is Unicode U+005E, the inverted V keyboard symbol used for exponentiation, regex start-of-line anchors, and control codes. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+005E- HTML
^- Word
005E Alt+X
How to type the caret symbol (^)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ^ yourself, use the method for your device below.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 005E and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
- Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Circumflex Accent, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for caret and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 005E.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 5e, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy ^ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;care. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- In Gboard, tap ?123, then =\<. ^ is on that page.
- Copy ^ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 005E, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 005E in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “caret” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(94)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
^or^in your HTML.
What does ^ mean?
The ^ symbol, named CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT in Unicode (U+005E), is universally known in computing as the caret or "hat". Originating in Latin proofreading, the word caret means "there is lacking", marking where omitted words should be inserted. In computer programming, ^ is widely used to denote mathematical exponentiation (as in 2^8 = 256), while in C, C++, and Python it serves as the bitwise exclusive OR (XOR) operator. In regular expressions, ^ anchors a pattern to the start of a line. In terminal documentation, it represents the control key symbol ⌃ in combinations like ^C. Compare it with the tilde ~ and asterisk * in our keyboard symbols index.
Common uses
- Regular expressions: asserting the beginning of a line or string, or negating character classes like
[^0-9] - Mathematics and calculators: representing exponents and power calculations (e.g., 10^3)
- Programming: bitwise XOR operator in C, C++, Python, JavaScript, and Java
- Terminal notation: representing the Control key in shorthand like ^C (interrupt) and ^Z (suspend)
Caret Symbol 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 point | U+005E | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ^ | |
| HTML decimal | ^ | |
| HTML hex | ^ | |
| CSS content | content: "\5E"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u005E" | |
| Python | "\u005E" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u005E" | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 5E | |
| UTF-16 | 005E | |
| URL encoded | %5E |
^ 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.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Up ArrowheadU+2303 | Up arrowhead (Control key symbol), an ISO keyboard graphic for Mac and terminal controls. | |
Modifier Letter Circumflex AccentU+02C6 | Modifier letter circumflex accent, a spacing linguistic phonetic modifier. | |
Logical andU+2227 | Logical AND symbol, a mathematical logic conjunction symbol. |
Symbols similar to ^
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full animal symbols collection.
^ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT
- Also known as
- circumflex accent, hat symbol, control symbol, exponent symbol, arrowhead symbol
- Code point
- U+005E
- Unicode block
- Basic Latin (U+0000–U+007F)
- General category
- Modifier symbol (Sk)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- No, it is a text symbol
Frequently asked questions
Why does ^ mean XOR in programming instead of exponentiation?
Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie chose ^ for bitwise XOR when designing the B and C languages at Bell Labs, preserving limited keyboard characters. In Python, exponentiation is written with a double asterisk ** instead.
How do I type the caret symbol ^?
On US and UK keyboards, press Shift + 6 on the top number row. On some European layouts, it acts as a dead key for typing letters like â and ê; press Space after ^ to output the standalone character.
What is the alt code for the caret symbol?
On Windows, hold Alt and type 94 on the numeric keypad to get ^. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 005E then Alt + X in Word.
How do I type the caret symbol 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 “caret” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the caret symbol?
Use the named entity ^ or the numeric reference ^ (hex ^). All three display ^ in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the caret symbol?
^ is U+005E, officially named CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT, in the Basic Latin block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).