What is the difference between curly quotes and straight quotes?

Straight quotes (" and ') are vertical marks used by default on most keyboards. Curly quotes, also called smart quotes, curve toward the text they enclose ("like this") and are the typographically correct form used in books, magazines, and most published writing.

How do I type curly quotes on Windows?

Hold Alt and type a numeric code on the keypad: Alt+0147 for an opening double quote, Alt+0148 for a closing double quote, Alt+0145 for an opening single quote, and Alt+0146 for a closing single quote.

How do I type curly quotes on a Mac?

Press Option+[ for an opening double quote and Option+Shift+[ for a closing double quote. For single quotes, press Option+] for opening and Option+Shift+] for closing.

What are the HTML entities for curly quotes?

Use “ and ” for the opening and closing double quotes, and ‘ and ’ for the opening and closing single quotes. Numeric entities work the same way: “ ” ‘ ’.

Why does my word processor turn straight quotes into curly quotes automatically?

Most word processors, including Microsoft Word and Google Docs, have an autocorrect setting that replaces straight quotes with curly quotes as you type. It usually guesses opening versus closing based on whether the quote follows a space or the start of a word.

Is the right single quotation mark the same as an apostrophe?

Yes. The curly apostrophe in words like "don't" or "it's" uses the same character as the closing single quotation mark, U+2019.

Curly Quote Symbol

Name: Curly Quote Symbol
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Copy curly (smart) quotation marks — opening and closing, single and double — and find the exact Unicode code point, HTML entity, or keyboard shortcut for each.

Curly Quotes

Click a symbol to copy it

Reference Table

Symbol	Name	Unicode	HTML entity	Decimal
“	Left double quotation mark
”	Right double quotation mark
‘	Left single quotation mark
’	Right single quotation mark / apostrophe

Keyboard Shortcuts

Symbol	Windows	Mac
“
”
‘
’

On Windows, hold Alt and type the digits on the numeric keypad. On Linux (GTK apps), press Ctrl+Shift+U, type the hex code (201c, 201d, 2018, or 2019), then press Enter or Space. Most word processors also autocorrect a straight quote to the correct curly form as you type.

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Summary

Copy curly (smart) quotation marks — opening and closing, single and double — and find the exact Unicode code point, HTML entity, or keyboard shortcut for each.

How it works

Click any of the four quote symbols to copy it to your clipboard.
Or click a row in the reference table to copy its Unicode code point, HTML entity, or decimal entity.
Use the shortcut tables to type curly quotes directly from your keyboard on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Paste the symbol into documents, spreadsheets, code, or chat.

Use cases

Format quotations correctly in a print-ready or published document.
Insert a properly curled apostrophe in a contraction instead of a straight one.
Fix quotes that were flattened to straight marks by a plain-text export or copy-paste.
Add correctly curled quotes to code, CSS content, or a JSON string.
Match the typography of a design mockup when writing HTML by hand.
Look up the exact HTML entity for a smart quote used in a CMS or email template.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu