What is a numeric HTML entity?

A numeric HTML entity is a sequence like é (decimal) or é (hex) that represents a Unicode code point. Browsers render them as the corresponding character regardless of the page charset.

When should I encode non-ASCII characters?

Whenever your HTML file is saved as ASCII or Latin-1, or when you are inserting dynamic text into an attribute value and cannot guarantee UTF-8 end-to-end delivery.

Does this tool encode HTML special characters like & "?

By default only non-ASCII characters are encoded. Enable the "Encode ASCII specials" option to also encode < > & " ' — useful for sanitizing content.

Can I decode entities back to plain text?

Yes. Switch to the Decode tab, paste HTML containing &#nnn; or &#xHH; entities, and the tool will convert them back to their original characters.

Does this handle emoji and high Unicode code points?

Yes. The encoder correctly handles characters outside the Basic Multilingual Plane (code points above U+FFFF) by computing their full decimal value, not the surrogate pair.

HTML Entity Encoder (Extended)

Name: HTML Entity Encoder (Extended)
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Paste text and convert every non-ASCII character to its &#nnn; numeric HTML entity reference instantly.

Input Text

Also encode ASCII specials < > & " ' Use hex entities &#xHH;

Encoded Output

Character Breakdown

Char	Code Point	Entity	Count

Copied!

Summary

Paste text and convert every non-ASCII character to its &#nnn; numeric HTML entity reference instantly.

How it works

Paste or type your text into the input box.
Choose encoding options: encode only non-ASCII, or also encode ASCII special characters.
The encoder converts each character to its decimal numeric entity reference (&#nnn;).
Copy the encoded output with one click.
Use the decode tab to reverse the process and recover original text.

Use cases

Safely embed accented European characters in legacy HTML templates.
Encode user-generated content before inserting it into HTML attributes.
Prepare multilingual text for HTML email clients with limited charset support.
Encode special symbols in XML or XHTML documents.
Obfuscate email addresses in HTML source to reduce spam harvesting.
Debug character encoding issues by inspecting code points.
Convert emoji and Unicode symbols to portable entity references.
Sanitize pasted text before publishing in a CMS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-09 · Reviewed by Nham Vu