SymbolHub

Pencil Symbol (✏)

The pencil symbol ✏ is Unicode U+270F, the pencil for editing and writing. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+270F
HTML
✏
Word
270F Alt+X

How to type the pencil 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 270F 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 “pencil”.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for pencil and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 270F.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 270f, 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 “pencil” 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 ;penc. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. In Gboard, tap the emoji key and search for “pencil” 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 270F, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 270F in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9999) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ✏ or ✏ in your HTML.

What does ✏ mean?

✏ is a pencil. In text it signals writing, notes, school or an “edit” action. The dingbat set has pencils at several angles: ✎ lower right, ✐ upper right, and the nibs ✑ ✒ for pens. ✎ is the lighter, more common choice for an “edit” label in plain text, while ✏️ is the colourful emoji.

Common uses

  • Edit links in text: ✎ Edit profile
  • Study notes and school materials
  • Drawing and art bios

Pencil 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+270F
HTML decimal✏
HTML hex✏
CSS contentcontent: "\270F";
JavaScript"\u270F"
Python"\u270F"
Python (by name)"\N{PENCIL}"
Java / C#"\u270F"
UTF-8 bytesE2 9C 8F
UTF-16270F
URL encoded%E2%9C%8F

✏ 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
Lower Right Pencil
U+270E		Lower right pencil, slimmer and pointing down.
Nib
U+2712		Black nib, for pens and calligraphy.
Writing Hand
U+270D		Writing hand, a hand holding a pen.

Symbols similar to ✏

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

  • Details

✏ character properties

Official Unicode name
PENCIL
Also known as
edit symbol, pencil icon, write symbol
Code point
U+270F
Unicode block
Dingbats (U+2700–U+27BF)
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

What is the difference between ✏ and ✎?

Both are pencils. ✏ (U+270F) points up-right and has an emoji form. ✎ (U+270E) points down-right and stays a text character.

Is there an alt code for the pencil 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 270F then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

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

What is the HTML code for the pencil 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 pencil symbol?

✏ is U+270F, officially named PENCIL, in the Dingbats block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).