Punctuation marks at a glance
Period ( . ) — ends a statement. Also called a full stop.
Question mark ( ? ) — ends a direct question.
Exclamation point ( ! ) — shows strong feeling or surprise. Also called an exclamation mark.
Comma ( , ) — separates items in a list or parts of a sentence.
Semicolon ( ; ) — joins two related independent clauses.
Colon ( : ) — introduces a list, an explanation, or a quotation.
Hyphen ( - ) — joins words in a compound adjective, like five-year-old.
Dash ( – / — ) — adds emphasis or shows a pause. Includes the shorter en dash ( – ) and longer em dash ( — ).
Parentheses ( ) — enclose extra information. Also called round brackets.
Brackets [ ] — enclose extra or editorial information. Also called square brackets.
Braces { } — enclose a group or set. Also called curly brackets.
Apostrophe ( ’ ) — shows possession (Sarah’s book) or a contraction (don’t).
Quotation marks ( “ ” ) — enclose the exact words someone said. Also called quotes or speech marks.
Ellipsis ( … ) — shows omitted words or a trailing thought. Also called suspension points.
Slash ( / ) — separates alternatives or parts of a date. Also called forward slash, solidus, or virgule.
Backslash ( \ ) — used in file paths and some technical writing.
Ampersand ( & ) — means “and”.
At sign ( @ ) — used in email addresses.
Asterisk ( * ) — marks a footnote or an omission.
Number sign ( # ) — used for numbers or hashtags. Also called hash or pound sign.
Underscore ( _ ) — used in file names and email addresses.
Vertical bar ( | ) — separates alternatives or is used in computing. Also called pipe.