Prime Symbol (′)

The prime symbol ′ is Unicode U+2032, the mark for feet, arcminutes and derivatives. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode: U+2032
HTML: ′
Word: 2032 Alt+X

How to type the prime 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 2032 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 Prime, 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 prime and double-click it.
With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2032.

Linux & ChromeOS

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2032, 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 ;prim. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

Copy ′ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

Type 2032, then press Alt + X.
Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2032 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

Enter =UNICHAR(8242) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

Write ′ or ′ in your HTML.

What does ′ mean?

′ is the prime. It marks feet (6′ tall), arcminutes in coordinates (51° 30′ N), minutes of time in some notations, and derivatives or related variables in maths (f′(x), A′). The keyboard apostrophe ' is often used instead, but it is shorter and straight, and a “smart quote” feature may curl it into ’, which is wrong for measurements. The prime is slanted and sized for this job.

Common uses

Heights: 5′ 11″
Coordinates: 40° 26′ 46″ N
Calculus: f′(x), the first derivative

Prime 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.

Codes for ′
Unicode code point	`U+2032`
HTML entity (named)	`′`
HTML decimal	`′`
HTML hex	`′`
CSS content	`content: "\2032";`
JavaScript	`"\u2032"`
Python	`"\u2032"`
Python (by name)	`"\N{PRIME}"`
Java / C#	`"\u2032"`
LaTeX	`'`
UTF-8 bytes	`E2 80 B2`
UTF-16	`2032`
URL encoded	`%E2%80%B2`

′ 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
	Apostrophe `U+0027`	Apostrophe (typewriter). Common substitute, but typographically wrong for feet and minutes.
	Right Single Quotation Mark `U+2019`	Right single quotation mark, the curly apostrophe.
	Modifier Letter Prime `U+02B9`	Modifier letter prime, used in transliteration.

Symbols similar to ′

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

′ character properties

Official Unicode name: PRIME
Also known as: prime, minute sign, feet symbol, arcminute
Code point: U+2032
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

Should I use ′ or ' for feet?

The prime ′ is correct. The straight apostrophe is an acceptable fallback, but never the curly ’, which a word processor’s smart quotes may insert automatically.

Is there an alt code for the prime 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 2032 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

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

What is the HTML code for the prime symbol?

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

What is the Unicode for the prime symbol?

′ is U+2032, officially named PRIME, in the General Punctuation block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).