SymbolHub

Dagger Symbol (†)

The dagger symbol † is Unicode U+2020, the typographical cross mark used for secondary footnotes, dates of death, and biology. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Option + T on a Mac.

Unicode
U+2020
HTML
†
Word
2020 Alt+X
Mac
Option + T

How to type the dagger symbol (†)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type † yourself, use the method for your device below. On a Mac it is Option + T.

Windows

  1. In Word or Outlook, type 2020 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 Dagger, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.

Mac

  1. Press Option+T. On the standard US and US-International layouts.
  2. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for dagger and double-click it.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2020, 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 ;dagg. 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 2020, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2020 in “Character code” and click Insert.
  3. On a Mac, Option+T works in Word too.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(8224) 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 dagger symbol (†), historically known as the obelisk or obelus, is a classical typographical mark with deep roots in Alexandrian scholarship and Renaissance printing. Shaped like a miniature sword or Latin cross with a tapering downward blade and small crossbar, the dagger serves as a secondary reference mark for footnotes when numerical superscripts are undesirable or unavailable. In traditional typography, when an asterisk (*) is used for the primary footnote on a page, the dagger (†) designates the second note.

Beyond footnoting, the dagger conveys specialized meaning across multiple academic disciplines. In biographical encyclopedias, genealogy charts, and cemetery rosters, placing a dagger before a year or beside a person’s name indicates their date of death or marks them as deceased (e.g. “Sir Arthur († 1935)”). In evolutionary biology and paleontology, placing a dagger before a taxon name signifies that the species, genus, or family is completely extinct (e.g. “† Smilodon populator”). For advanced references, compare it with its two-barred sibling, the double dagger, and inspect statutory citations in legal symbols.

In higher mathematics and quantum mechanics, the dagger denotes the Hermitian adjoint or conjugate transpose of a matrix or linear operator (written as A†). When styling list markers or editorial notes, authors frequently pair the dagger with the reference mark or substitute the round bullet point in general punctuation symbols.

Common uses

  • Secondary footnote mark immediately following the asterisk (*)
  • Genealogy and biographical records denoting deceased individuals or year of death: “† 1882”
  • Paleontology and taxonomy marking extinct prehistoric species: “† Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)”
  • Quantum mechanics and linear algebra denoting the Hermitian conjugate: “ψ†”

Dagger 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 pointU+2020
HTML entity (named)†
HTML decimal†
HTML hex†
CSS contentcontent: "\2020";
JavaScript"\u2020"
Python"\u2020"
Python (by name)"\N{DAGGER}"
Java / C#"\u2020"
LaTeX\dagger
UTF-8 bytesE2 80 A0
UTF-162020
URL encoded%E2%80%A0
Mac shortcutOption + T

† 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
Double Dagger
U+2021		Double dagger (U+2021). Features two crossbars; serves as the third footnote mark in classical order.
Latin Cross
U+271D		Latin cross (U+271D). Christian religious emblem with thicker devotional proportions, not a punctuation mark.
Plus
U+002B		Plus sign (U+002B). Standard mathematical operator with equidistant centered strokes.
Dagger
U+2020		Dagger (U+2020). The standard typographical obelisk designed specifically for editorial citations.

Symbols similar to †

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

† character properties

Official Unicode name
DAGGER
Also known as
obelisk, obelus, dagger mark, cross mark footnote
Code point
U+2020
Unicode block
General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F)
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

What is the difference between a dagger symbol and a cross?

The dagger symbol (†, U+2020) is a typographical footnote mark shaped like an edged sword. The Latin cross (✝, U+271D) is a religious emblem. Using the proper character avoids offending readers and preserves typographic aesthetics.

How do I type a dagger symbol on keyboard?

On Mac, press Option + T. On Windows, hold Alt and type 0134 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 2020 and press Alt + X. In HTML, use the named entity † or decimal reference †.

What does a dagger mean next to an author’s name in a research paper?

In academic journals and scientific conference papers, a dagger next to an author’s name typically indicates that the author passed away prior to publication, or references a footnote noting equal contribution.

Is there an alt code for the dagger symbol?

No. † is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 2020 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the dagger symbol on a Mac?

Press Option + T. It works in every app on the US keyboard layout. You can also open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space and search for it.

What is the HTML code for the dagger symbol?

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

What is the Unicode for the dagger symbol?

† is U+2020, officially named DAGGER, in the General Punctuation block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).