Inverted Exclamation Mark (¡)
The inverted exclamation mark ¡ is Unicode U+00A1, the upside-down exclamation point used at the beginning of exclamatory clauses in Spanish. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Alt + 0161 on Windows or Option + 1 on a Mac.
- Unicode
U+00A1- HTML
¡- Windows
Alt + 0161- Mac
Option + 1
How to type the inverted exclamation mark (¡)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ¡ yourself, use the method for your device below. On Windows the alt code is Alt + 0161. On a Mac it is Option + 1.
Windows
- Hold Alt and type 0161 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Num Lock must be on. This uses the Windows-1252 code page, so it works in almost every Windows app.
- Hold Alt and type 173 on the numeric keypad. This older code (from code page 437) works in Notepad, Word and most desktop apps.
- In Word or Outlook, type 00A1 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 Inverted Exclamation Mark, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.
Mac
- Press Option+1. On the standard US and US-International layouts.
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for inverted exclamation and double-click it.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type a1, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
- Press your Compose key, then ! !. Needs a Compose key set in your keyboard settings.
iPhone & iPad
- Tap 123, then touch and hold ! and slide to ¡.
- Copy ¡ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;inve. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- In Gboard, long-press ! on the ?123 page.
- Copy ¡ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 00A1, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 00A1 in “Character code” and click Insert.
- On a Mac, Option+1 works in Word too.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “inverted exclamation” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(161)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
¡or¡in your HTML.
What does ¡ mean?
The inverted exclamation mark (¡), known in Spanish as the signo de exclamación invertido or signo de admiración, is the mandatory opening punctuation mark for exclamatory phrases, commands, and enthusiastic utterances in Spanish. Just as the inverted question mark prepares the reader for an inquiry, the inverted exclamation mark signals that the upcoming phrase should be delivered with heightened emotion, volume, or dramatic emphasis from the opening word.
Introduced by the Real Academia Española in 1754 alongside the opening question mark, the inverted exclamation point solved a major challenge in oral reading. Because Spanish sentences often lack auxiliary helper verbs to flag imperative or emotive tone, placing an upside-down mark at the onset of an exclamation prevents monotonous delivery. Sentences like ¡Qué sorpresa tan maravillosa! (What a wonderful surprise!) or short greetings like ¡Hola! and ¡Bienvenidos! depend on this framing. When dialogue turns incredulous, authors frequently combine it with the interrobang or frame speech using European guillemets.
In mid-sentence exclamations, the mark is placed precisely where the emotional clause begins, rather than at the margin (e.g. “Dijo que vendría, ¡y de verdad llegó!”). Beyond Spanish, the character is officially used in Galician and Asturian, and it is fully encoded across all digital devices as part of standard international punctuation symbols.
Common uses
- Opening exclamations and joyful greetings in Spanish: “¡Buenos días!”, “¡Felicidades!”
- Framing urgent commands and warnings: “¡Cuidado con el escalón!” (Watch out for the step!)
- Marking exclamatory clauses embedded in prose: “Estaba oscuro, ¡pero qué noche tan hermosa!”
- Paired with question marks for passionate disbelief: “¿¡Cómo pudiste olvidar!?”
Inverted Exclamation Mark 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+00A1 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ¡ | |
| HTML decimal | ¡ | |
| HTML hex | ¡ | |
| CSS content | content: "\A1"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u00A1" | |
| Python | "\u00A1" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{INVERTED EXCLAMATION MARK}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u00A1" | |
| LaTeX | !` | |
| UTF-8 bytes | C2 A1 | |
| UTF-16 | 00A1 | |
| URL encoded | %C2%A1 | |
| Windows Alt code | Alt + 0161 | |
| Alt code (CP437) | Alt + 173 | |
| Mac shortcut | Option + 1 |
¡ 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 |
|---|---|---|
Exclamation MarkU+0021 | Standard exclamation mark (U+0021). The closing punctuation mark placed at the conclusion of exclamations. | |
Inverted Question MarkU+00BF | Inverted question mark (U+00BF). Opens questions rather than emotional or imperative exclamations. | |
IU+0069 | Lowercase Latin letter i. Similar appearance with vertical stroke and dot, but rests on the baseline. | |
Dotless IU+0131 | Latin small dotless i (U+0131). Used in the Turkish alphabet; lacks any dot whatsoever. |
Symbols similar to ¡
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full punctuation symbols collection.
¡ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- INVERTED EXCLAMATION MARK
- Also known as
- upside down exclamation mark, spanish exclamation mark, opening exclamation mark
- Code point
- U+00A1
- Unicode block
- Latin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF)
- 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
Why does Spanish require inverted exclamation marks?
The inverted exclamation mark alerts the reader to an emotional, urgent, or loud tone before speaking the words, preventing vocal misinterpretation in spoken reading.
How do I type ¡ on keyboard?
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0161 on the numeric keypad (or Alt + 173). On Mac, press Option + 1. In HTML, write the named entity ¡ or decimal reference ¡.
Which languages use the inverted exclamation mark?
It is primarily used in Spanish, as well as in Galician and Asturian. Some bilingual indigenous languages of Latin America also use it in educational publishing.
What is the alt code for the inverted exclamation mark?
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0161 on the numeric keypad to get ¡. The shorter code Alt + 173 also works in most desktop apps. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 00A1 then Alt + X in Word.
How do I type the inverted exclamation mark on a Mac?
Press Option + 1. 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 inverted exclamation mark?
Use the named entity ¡ or the numeric reference ¡ (hex ¡). All three display ¡ in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the inverted exclamation mark?
¡ is U+00A1, officially named INVERTED EXCLAMATION MARK, in the Latin-1 Supplement block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).