SymbolHub

Frowning Face Symbol (☹)

The frowning face symbol ☹ is Unicode U+2639, the outline frowning face symbol representing sadness and disappointment. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+2639
HTML
☹
Word
2639 Alt+X

How to type the frowning face symbol (☹)

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 2639 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + . to open the emoji panel, then search for “frowning face”.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for frowning face and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2639.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2639, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Open the emoji keyboard and search for “frowning face” to insert ☹️, the colour emoji. For the plain text ☹, copy it from this page.
  2. Copy ☹ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;frow. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. In Gboard, tap the emoji key and search for “frowning face” to insert ☹️. For the plain text ☹, copy it from this page.
  2. Copy ☹ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 2639, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2639 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9785) 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 frowning face symbol ☹ (Unicode name WHITE FROWNING FACE) displays an outlined circular head with neutral eyes and a distinct downturned curve for a mouth. It serves as the direct emotional opposite of the classic smiling face ☺, conveying sadness, disappointment, discontent, or lighthearted sympathy in digital communication.

Encoded in Unicode 1.1 in 1993 at code point U+2639, ☹ is a typographic character that adapts to the surrounding text color and typeface. It is frequently employed in customer satisfaction surveys (e.g. good vs poor service), error message dialogues, and gaming interfaces to signify a lost life or failed attempt. Unlike the modern yellow emoji 🙁, the raw ☹ symbol stays crisp and legible in command lines and monochromatic print layouts.

Common uses

  • Customer feedback surveys: Poor ☹ — Neutral — Good ☺
  • Expressing regret or sympathy: Sorry to hear that ☹
  • Retro game status screens indicating defeat or penalty
  • Terminal and coding diagnostic alerts

Frowning Face 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+2639
HTML decimal☹
HTML hex☹
CSS contentcontent: "\2639";
JavaScript"\u2639"
Python"\u2639"
Python (by name)"\N{WHITE FROWNING FACE}"
Java / C#"\u2639"
UTF-8 bytesE2 98 B9
UTF-162639
URL encoded%E2%98%B9

☹ 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
White Smiling Face
U+263A		White smiling face, the cheerful counterpart.
Slightly Frowning Face
U+1F641		Slightly frowning face emoji, rendered in color on mobile devices.
Crying Face
U+1F622		Crying face emoji, expressing acute sadness or weeping.

Symbols similar to ☹

Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes.

☹ character properties

Official Unicode name
WHITE FROWNING FACE
Also known as
white frowning face, sad face symbol, unhappy face, frown text
Code point
U+2639
Unicode block
Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
General category
Other symbol (So)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
Has an emoji form: ☹️ (add U+FE0F)

Frequently asked questions

How do I type the frowning face symbol on Windows?

Because ☹ has no legacy Alt code, type 2639 in Microsoft Word and press Alt + X, or copy it directly from this page.

Can ☹ be displayed as an emoji?

Yes. Adding the emoji presentation selector (U+FE0F) turns it into the colored frowning face emoji ☹️ on supported platforms.

Is there an alt code for the frowning face 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 2639 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the frowning face 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 “frowning face” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the frowning face symbol?

☹ has no named HTML entity. Use the numeric reference ☹ or ☹, or paste the character directly into a UTF-8 page.

What is the Unicode for the frowning face symbol?

☹ is U+2639, officially named WHITE FROWNING FACE, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).