Copy Å, the angstrom symbol, to paste into your work, or type it with Alt+143.
Angstrom Symbol
ÅLatin capital letter a with ring aboveU+00C5Ready to copy
12 angstrom characters and look-alikes. Tap any value to copy it.
12 angstrom characters and look-alikes. A character and its name both copy the character. A code copies the code.
Character
Name
Code point
Alt code
Option keys
HTML
U+00C5. The symbol of the angstrom is this letter of the Swedish alphabet, a capital A under a ring. One angstrom is 0.1 nanometer. Alt+143, Alt+0197, Option+Shift+A on the U.S. layout, Å in HTML.
U+212B. A second code point for the same shape, kept so that older character sets convert cleanly. Unicode's note: preferred representation is 00C5. No Alt code, and Å in HTML gives the letter, not this.
Made of A and U+030A, the combining ring: the same letter spelled in two code points. Normalized text turns this spelling, and the sign above, into U+00C5.
Å with a raised 2: an area measured in angstroms along each side.
Å with a raised 3, for a volume.
Two plain letters: the nanometer, ten angstroms long. Lengths in angstroms are increasingly given in nanometers or picometers.
U+212A. K for kelvins got the same treatment: Unicode holds a duplicate of the keyboard K, and normalizing text swaps it back.
U+02DA. The bare ring, spaced like a letter. Option+K types it on the U.S. layout and a web page can name it ˚. Not to be mistaken for °, which is U+00B0.
Made of a dotted circle and U+030A, the combining ring, which sits on the letter typed before it. The dotted circle only shows where that letter goes.
U+00E5. The small letter: a vowel in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, and never the unit, whose symbol is always the capital. Alt+134, Alt+0229, Option+A on the U.S. layout, å in HTML.
U+01FA. The capital under a ring and an acute accent. A letter and not a unit sign; neither Alt code table has it.
U+01FB. The small letter under a ring and an acute accent. With a Compose key: Compose, *, apostrophe, a.
The angstrom symbol is Å, a capital A with a ring above, U+00C5. Alt+143 types it, or Option+Shift+A on the U.S. layout. Unicode also has an angstrom sign of its own, U+212B, which looks the same.
Read the full guide
Two code points, one shape
Unicode gave the unit a code point of its own, U+212B, for compatibility with older character sets, and marked the letter U+00C5 as the preferred way to write it. The two look identical, and normalized text turns the sign into the letter. The first row is the letter; the second is the sign.
What an angstrom measures
An angstrom is a unit of length: 0.1 nanometer, a ten-billionth of a meter. It is used for the sizes of atoms and for wavelengths; visible light runs from about 4,000 to 7,000 Å. The unit honours Anders Jonas Ångström, a Swedish physicist.
Å in HTML gives U+00C5, the letter, and not the angstrom sign U+212B.
The unit symbol is always the capital. The small å is a letter and never the unit.
The angstrom was never an SI unit; nanometers and picometers have increasingly replaced it.
Questions and answers
What is the angstrom symbol in Unicode?
U+00C5, Latin capital letter A with ring above, is the preferred character. U+212B, Angstrom sign, is a second code point kept for compatibility, and the note Unicode prints beside it says the preferred representation is 00C5.
What is the Alt code for the angstrom symbol?
Alt+143 on the number pad, or Alt+0197 with the leading zero. Both type Å, U+00C5. The separate angstrom sign, U+212B, is in neither Alt code table.
How big is an angstrom?
One ten-billionth of a meter, which is 0.1 nanometer or 100 picometers. A hydrogen atom is some 1.1 angstroms wide.
Is the angstrom symbol the same as the Swedish letter Å?
Yes. The symbol of the unit is the letter Å of the Swedish alphabet, always written as a capital. In Danish, Norwegian and Swedish the same character is a letter of its own.
All 12 angstrom characters and look-alikes
Start here 6
ÅA with a combining ring aboveMade of A and U+030A, the combining ring: the same letter spelled in two code points. Normalized text turns this spelling, and the sign above, into U+00C5.
ÅAngstrom signU+212B. A second code point for the same shape, kept so that older character sets convert cleanly. Unicode's note: preferred representation is 00C5. No Alt code, and Å in HTML gives the letter, not this.
ųCubic angstromŠwith a raised 3, for a volume.
ÅLatin capital letter a with ring aboveU+00C5. The symbol of the angstrom is this letter of the Swedish alphabet, a capital A under a ring. One angstrom is 0.1 nanometer. Alt+143, Alt+0197, Option+Shift+A on the U.S. layout, Å in HTML.
nmNanometerTwo plain letters: the nanometer, ten angstroms long. Lengths in angstroms are increasingly given in nanometers or picometers.
ŲSquare angstromŠwith a raised 2: an area measured in angstroms along each side.
One shape, more than one code 1
KKelvin signU+212A. K for kelvins got the same treatment: Unicode holds a duplicate of the keyboard K, and normalizing text swaps it back.
Show all 12 angstrom characters and look-alikes (5 more)
The ring by itself 2
◌̊Combining ring above, on a dotted circleMade of a dotted circle and U+030A, the combining ring, which sits on the letter typed before it. The dotted circle only shows where that letter goes.
˚Ring aboveU+02DA. The bare ring, spaced like a letter. Option+K types it on the U.S. layout and a web page can name it ˚. Not to be mistaken for °, which is U+00B0.
Letters, not the unit 3
ǺLatin capital letter a with ring above and acuteU+01FA. The capital under a ring and an acute accent. A letter and not a unit sign; neither Alt code table has it.
åLatin small letter a with ring aboveU+00E5. The small letter: a vowel in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, and never the unit, whose symbol is always the capital. Alt+134, Alt+0229, Option+A on the U.S. layout, å in HTML.
ǻLatin small letter a with ring above and acuteU+01FB. The small letter under a ring and an acute accent. With a Compose key: Compose, *, apostrophe, a.