HTML Basics

HTML Entities

Some characters have special meaning in HTML or cannot be typed directly. Entities let you display these characters safely and correctly.

What are HTML Entities?

An HTML entity is a code that represents a character. It starts with an ampersand (&) and ends with a semicolon (;). For example, < displays a less-than sign. Entities are needed because characters like < and > are reserved for tags.

Common Entities

Character	Entity name	Entity number
< (less than)	<	<
> (greater than)	>	>
& (ampersand)	&	&
" (double quote)	"	"
Non-breaking space
© (copyright)	©	©
® (registered)	®	®
€ (euro)	€	€

Displaying reserved characters

<p>To write a tag, type &lt;p&gt; on the page.</p>
<p>Fish &amp; Chips</p>
<p>&copy; 2026 My Company</p>

ℹ️

A non-breaking space ( ) keeps two words together on the same line and prevents the browser from collapsing multiple spaces. Use it sparingly, for example in '10 kg' so the number and unit stay together.

HTML Entities

What are HTML Entities?

Common Entities

Ready to use your HTML skills?