Often, the unsung hero of writing is punctuation. It may be silent, holding all these lines of sentences together but also clearing up clarity, tone, and emphasis. Most writers keep it pretty simple – periods, commas, exclamation points. There is, however, a treasure trove of lesser-known marks. They can raise the levels of your writing and provide nuanced meanings. From symbols used in the legal world to quirky marks born out of necessity in the digital age, these rare punctuation marks are worth exploring for anybody who loves the art of writing. Let’s dive into 20 uncommon punctuation marks that will surprise you.
Interrobang (‽)
A mix between the question mark and exclamation point. The interrobang represents those situations when a mere question mark is insufficient. Ask a surprised question like “You did what‽” or highlight the interrobang that greets your sentence with a questioning tone and a dash of excitement. Forged in 1962 by Martin K. Speckter, the interrobang initially functioned in advertisements. It was a single mark capable of replacing both punctuation marks. Though a beautiful novelty, people never use it in formal writing practices. It is a favorite in informal contexts where personality and flair come in.
Pilcrow (¶)
The pilcrow is the reverse P (¶), often used in legal documents or academic manuscripts to indicate a new paragraph. It very seldom appears in everyday modern writing. It traces back to the Middle Ages. Monks employed it in illuminated manuscripts as a visual break over large blocks of text. Today, the pilcrow is much more of a formatting device you can implement in word processing software. It signals where paragraph breaks are located in a text.
Section Sign (§)
Maybe you were wading through a legal contract or a technical document and stumbled upon the section sign (§). It’s a shorthand that guides an audience’s eyes to a specific section or clause. The symbol originated in ancient Rome. Its use is still essential in legal and academic scholarship. It is often necessary to pinpoint pertinent parts of long texts. It contributes to organizing complex information so it is easy for the reader to find what he needs.
Dagger (†)
The dagger symbol indicates footnotes in formal papers or research articles. When numerous footnotes are on a page, it refers to its companion, the double dagger (‡). The use of daggers traces its origin back to the early days of printing. People used it as a substitute for the number of footnotes in the text. While it occurs infrequently in everyday writing, writers at a scholarly and research level have used it to add clarity and detail without interrupting the rest of the text.
Ellipsis (…)
The ellipsis assumes three consecutive dots and is the most recognizable of all the remaining symbols in this list. An ellipse commonly denotes a pause, an unfinished thought, or a deliberate omission of words. Used to create suspense in fiction and remove unnecessary words in quotation marks in academic writing, the ellipsis originated as a popular device during the 19th century. However, you can use it in the most subtle way of providing text with the necessary pace and atmosphere since time immemorial and thus suitable for formal and informal writing.
Tilde (~)
The tilde has usage that varies from language to language and field to field, but it has a variety of uses. In Spanish, you can use it over the letter ‘n’ to indicate the ‘ñ’ sound, a nasally felt letter; in mathematics, it indicates approximation, such as ~100. The symbol has an old history; it originated as a shorthand for missing letters in medieval Latin manuscripts. Its versatility has made it a darling in both technological and more mundane settings, in which it may connote everything from approximation to informal tone.
Angular Brackets (〈 〉)
Angular brackets, also known as chevrons, are primarily used in mathematics and computer science to set off a type of information or to denote “greater than” and “less than” comparisons. However, they occasionally appear in literature, where translations, stage directions, or the like occur in a play; they are set off with chevrons. They have roots in early typesetting, where they framed quotations and other unique phrases. Today, however, these punctuation marks are more of a specialized character and are primarily used in technical writing and programming languages.
Braces ({ })
Brackets, or braces, have distinct uses in mathematics and programming. You can utilize these punctuation marks to enclose sets or group-related information significantly when differentiating multi-levels of data. In mathematical expressions, for instance, they indicate sets, like {1, 2, 3}. But in programming, they tend to show code blocks. Their development began during the 16th century. It finally gained its decisive place in technical or academic writing, even though they are generally not expected in ordinary or literary writings.
Pipe (|)
A computer character developed long ago, the pipe (|), is proper when placing two expressions between choices in programming languages. You can use it as a logical operator in coding. It’s also used on a text-based interface to display choices between alternatives. Although you can use this one in particular instances in literature, it is an extremely useful mark for individuals who handle vast amounts of data and operations.
Degree Symbol (°)
The degree symbol is universally accepted to indicate temperatures (°C, °F) or angles (90°). It is a standard for all scientific, mathematical, and geographical writings and an arrowhead in informal writing if accuracy is of the essence. People used it in the 17th century and should remain in both formal and informal writing for that which requires precision.
Prime (′) and Double Prime (″)
The prime and double prime symbols (′, ″) measure feet and inches or minutes and seconds in time and angles. A height of 6′ 2″, for example, means six feet and two inches, whereas 30′ 15″ means thirty minutes and fifteen seconds. Their origins date back to ancient times when people used them to measure time in astronomy and navigation. Nowadays, wherever measurements are involved, people use these symbols.
The Asterisk (*)
The most famous punctuation mark of all is the star *, which you can use for many different purposes. You can use it as a notation to indicate a footnote, to signal something left out in the text, and to stress a statement. It comes from the Greeks, who used a similar star-shaped symbol to highlight something meaningful in their texts. Even today, this Asterisk remains an essential tool in writing for academics and literary writers, aiding their organization and elegance.
Ceding Arrow (↵)
Another specialized punctuation mark mainly used in computing is the ceding arrow, ↵. It denotes the line break or carriage return, which is how people initially used that mark in text files to represent when a typewriter delivered the page back up to the top when finishing a line. Though not very popular in regular writing, its importance is essential in coding and typesetting, where document formatting is crucial.
Copyright Symbol (‘)
This symbol indicates that a work is legally covered in almost all areas of the arts industry. It is mainly used on books, websites, CDs, and DVDs to indicate copyright protection and other exclusive reproduction and distribution rights. The symbol originated in the 19th century and has gained worldwide recognition as an intellectual property rights symbol.
Registered Trademark (®)
Unlike the copyright symbol, the registered trademark symbol of (®) shows that a company has registered its Trademark with some governmental organization. This gives the company rights over exclusively using the name or logo. Therefore, it is more critical legally to include the symbol in branding and to ensure consumers get a genuine product protected by law.
Spade Symbol (♠)
The spade symbol (♠), which is much more familiar to a layperson as one of the four suits in a pack of cards, occasionally appears in writing as a divider for particular parts or critical concepts. It has a background in literature and games as a symbol of fate, luck, or power. Even though it is not a traditional punctuation mark per se, it adds to the writing’s uniqueness and symbolism if used in the text.
Heart Symbol (♥)
The heart symbol (♥) is rooted in medieval art and eventually evolved into a common symbol used to express love and affection. From text messages to Valentine’s Day cards, it adds dynamic flavor and warmth to informal writing. Initially, it appeared in illuminated manuscripts as a decoration but gained mass popularity through modern digital communication.
Not Sign (⌧)
The not sign is ⌧ a prominent symbol that you can use in mathematical logic and computing to indicate negation. The sign is crucial to any programmer when working with conditional statements, which include some conditions occurring (or not occurring) to have something else happen. Though rarely found outside these fields, the not sign has been a part of the notation system of mathematics for many centuries.
Bullet •
Frequently used in presentations and list-making, a bullet (•) keeps facts organized in an easy-to-understand manner. Although simple in design, it keeps readers afloat while wading through a list of information. Since the invention of typesetting, the caret has been a part of print media and appears to be a permanent addition
Caret (^)
The caret is useful in proofreading to indicate where to put something. It is also very common in mathematics in the notation of exponentiation. The reverse happens; quite unpopular in regular writing, the caret is necessary for editing and technical applications. Its origin comes from corrections in early manuscript writings. The scribes utilized the caret to denote missing text or errors.
Conclusion
The world of punctuation marks is much more diverse than it may first appear. While most writing adheres to periods and commas, these rare punctuation marks open up exciting new avenues. They can add nuance and precision to writing, and growing your punctuation toolkit opens up more communication channels.
