Copy &, or type it with Alt+38; the wide, small, turned and ornament ampersands follow.
Ampersand Alt Code
&AmpersandU+0026Ready to copy
20 ampersands and look-alikes. Tap any value to copy it.
20 ampersands and look-alikes. A character and its name both copy the character. A code copies the code.
Character
Name
Code point
Alt code
HTML
LaTeX
U+0026. On the keyboard at Shift+7 on the U.S. layout. Its Alt code is 38, its place in ASCII: hold Alt and type 38 on the number pad. A web page writes it &, because a bare & begins the name of a character.
U+FF06. The ampersand at the full width of a Chinese or Japanese character. No key of the U.S. layout types it; it is one to copy.
U+FE60. A shrunken ampersand, from the Small Form Variants block. No key and no code of its own.
U+214B. The ampersand turned upside down. Unicode's note: used in linear logic. In Unicode since version 3.2 (2002).
U+204A. Tironian sign et, an old shorthand sign for and. Irish and Scottish Gaelic still use it where English uses &. In Unicode since version 3.0 (1999).
Made of U+0026, c and a period: et cetera, with & standing for et.
U+06FD. The and sign of Sindhi as written in Arabic script. It needs an Arabic font. In Unicode since version 3.0 (1999).
Made of R, U+0026 and D: research and development.
Made of B, U+0026 and B: bed and breakfast.
Made of R, U+0026 and B: rhythm and blues.
Two plain letters: the Latin word for and. The ampersand began as these two written as one, and some italic ampersands still show both.
U+2227. And in logic, not in writing: a wedge that Unicode also calls conjunction. ∧ in a web page, \wedge in LaTeX.
U+002B. The plus sign, the other short way to write and. It has its own key.
U+1F674. An ampersand in heavy strokes. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
U+1F675. An ampersand with a long swash. Unicode's other name for it: italic ampersand. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
U+1F670. The letters e and t tied in a script hand. Unicode's other name for it: italic ampersand lowercase. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
U+1F671. The script et in heavy strokes. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
U+1F672. An et whose e is left open. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
U+1F673. The open et in heavy strokes. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
U+2E52. The capital form of ⁊, the newest character of this table: it came with Unicode 13.0 (2020). Where no font has it yet, an empty box shows.
The ampersand Alt code is 38: hold Alt, type 38 on the number pad, and & appears. The sign is also a key, Shift+7 on the U.S. layout. The forms no key types are in the rows.
Read the full guide
Why the code is 38
38 is the ampersand’s number in ASCII, and the PC code tables kept it there. A web page cannot use a bare &, which begins the name of a character, so the sign itself is written &.
A ligature of et
The sign began as et, the Latin word for and, written as one shape; in some italic forms the e and the t still show. Its name is a worn-down and per se and. ⁊, the Tironian et, is an older sign for and that Irish and Scottish Gaelic still use.
&c. is et cetera: the & stands for et.
The six ornament ampersands came with Unicode 7.0 in 2014, and many devices have no font for them.
∧ means and in logic. It is another character, U+2227.
Questions and answers
What is the Alt code for the ampersand?
Alt+38. Hold Alt, type 38 on the number pad and let go. The ampersand is also a key, Shift+7 on the U.S. layout, so the code is a second way to type it and not the only one.
What is the HTML code for an ampersand?
&. In HTML a bare & begins the name of a character, as in , so the ampersand itself is written by name. & also writes it: the same number as the Alt code.
What does the ampersand mean?
And. It is a ligature of et, the Latin word for and, and it stands for that word in names and in short forms such as R&D. Its other name is the and sign.
Why do some ampersands show as empty boxes?
The six ornament forms, U+1F670 to U+1F675, joined Unicode in version 7.0 (2014), and the capital Tironian et in version 13.0 (2020). A device with no font for a character draws an empty box in its place.
All 20 ampersands and look-alikes
Start here 6
&AmpersandU+0026. On the keyboard at Shift+7 on the U.S. layout. Its Alt code is 38, its place in ASCII: hold Alt and type 38 on the number pad. A web page writes it &, because a bare & begins the name of a character.
&c.Et cetera, with the ampersandMade of U+0026, c and a period: et cetera, with & standing for et.
＆Fullwidth ampersandU+FF06. The ampersand at the full width of a Chinese or Japanese character. No key of the U.S. layout types it; it is one to copy.
﹠Small ampersandU+FE60. A shrunken ampersand, from the Small Form Variants block. No key and no code of its own.
⁊Tironian sign etU+204A. Tironian sign et, an old shorthand sign for and. Irish and Scottish Gaelic still use it where English uses &. In Unicode since version 3.0 (1999).
⅋Turned ampersandU+214B. The ampersand turned upside down. Unicode's note: used in linear logic. In Unicode since version 3.2 (2002).
Ampersands 1
۽Arabic sign sindhi ampersandU+06FD. The and sign of Sindhi as written in Arabic script. It needs an Arabic font. In Unicode since version 3.0 (1999).
Show all 20 ampersands and look-alikes (13 more)
Ready-made 3
B&BBed and breakfastMade of B, U+0026 and B: bed and breakfast.
R&DResearch and developmentMade of R, U+0026 and D: research and development.
R&BRhythm and bluesMade of R, U+0026 and B: rhythm and blues.
Not an ampersand 3
etet, the Latin wordTwo plain letters: the Latin word for and. The ampersand began as these two written as one, and some italic ampersands still show both.
∧Logical andU+2227. And in logic, not in writing: a wedge that Unicode also calls conjunction. ∧ in a web page, \wedge in LaTeX.
+Plus signU+002B. The plus sign, the other short way to write and. It has its own key.
May be an empty box 7
🙴Heavy ampersand ornamentU+1F674. An ampersand in heavy strokes. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
🙳Heavy ligature open et ornamentU+1F673. The open et in heavy strokes. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
🙱Heavy script ligature et ornamentU+1F671. The script et in heavy strokes. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
🙲Ligature open et ornamentU+1F672. An et whose e is left open. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
🙰Script ligature et ornamentU+1F670. The letters e and t tied in a script hand. Unicode's other name for it: italic ampersand lowercase. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
🙵Swash ampersand ornamentU+1F675. An ampersand with a long swash. Unicode's other name for it: italic ampersand. One of six ornament forms added in Unicode 7.0 (2014); a device with no font for it draws an empty box.
⹒Tironian sign capital etU+2E52. The capital form of ⁊, the newest character of this table: it came with Unicode 13.0 (2020). Where no font has it yet, an empty box shows.