What is the pilcrow symbol used for?

The pilcrow (¶), also called the paragraph mark, indicates the start of a new paragraph. Editors and proofreaders use it to mark paragraph breaks, and word processors use it as the formatting mark for an end-of-paragraph character.

What is the Unicode code point for the pilcrow?

The pilcrow sign is U+00B6 in Unicode, part of the Latin-1 Supplement block.

How do I type the pilcrow on a Mac?

Press Option + 7 on a Mac keyboard to type ¶ directly.

How do I type the pilcrow on Windows?

Hold Alt and type 0182 on the numeric keypad, with Num Lock on.

What is the HTML entity for the pilcrow?

Use ¶ or the numeric entity ¶ to render ¶ in HTML.

Why does my word processor show a ¶ at the end of every paragraph?

That is the "show formatting marks" view (for example Ctrl+Shift+8 in Word), which displays hidden paragraph marks on screen. It does not print and is separate from typing an actual pilcrow character into your text.

Is the pilcrow the same as the section symbol?

No. The pilcrow (¶) marks paragraphs, while the section sign (§) marks sections in legal documents and citations. They are different Unicode characters with different uses.

Pilcrow Symbol

Click the pilcrow (¶) to copy it, or grab its Unicode, HTML entity, and OS keyboard shortcut.

Pilcrow Symbol

Codes & Entities

Unicode

U+00B6

HTML entity (named)

HTML entity (numeric)

CSS content value

content: '\00b6';

JavaScript escape

\u00B6

LaTeX (text mode)

Keyboard Shortcut

Copied!

Summary

Click the pilcrow (¶) to copy it, or grab its Unicode, HTML entity, and OS keyboard shortcut.

How it works

The pilcrow (¶) is shown at large size in the preview panel.
Click "Copy Symbol" to copy ¶ to your clipboard.
Click any code row (Unicode, HTML entity, CSS, or JavaScript escape) to copy that specific value.
Switch the OS tab to see the matching keyboard shortcut for Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Use cases

Mark a new paragraph when proofreading or editing a manuscript.
Cite a paragraph number in a legal brief or academic reference.
Copy the HTML entity for use in web page markup.
Look up the Alt code or keyboard shortcut for typing ¶ directly.
Grab the CSS content value for a pseudo-element icon.
Reference the Unicode code point for a font or design tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu

Pilcrow Symbol

Use the Pilcrow Symbol

Pilcrow Symbol

Codes & Entities

Keyboard Shortcut

Summary

How it works

Use cases

Frequently Asked Questions