There are different icons when you write in English, and you wonder what is it called. In Simple English, these icons are called punctuation marks/Symbols. There are 14 punctuation marks and 70 plus commonly used English language symbols.
![! () ; % #@ ! [] “ What is it Called](https://whenhowandwhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/@-What-is-it-Called.jpg)
14 Punctuation Marks. What is it Called
The 14 punctuation marks are the period/ full stop, exclamation mark, parentheses, question mark, colon, semicolon, hyphen, dash, brackets, braces, apostrophe, comma, ellipsis, and quotation mark. Let’s look at how to identify them and examples of how to use them in writing.

Name of the Punctuation Mark | Punctuation Mark | Practical Example |
Period / Full stop | . | He said goodbye. |
Exclamation Mark | ! | Oh yes! I got through the exam |
Parentheses | ( ) | Daniel ( who is Jessica’s husband) is a sailor |
Question Mark | ? | Did you like the food? |
Colon | : | These trousers are the best: They are cheap and durable |
Semi Colon | ; | I ordered another cake; sugar always hypes me up. |
Hyphen | – | Sister-in-law |
Dash | — | The magazine was in circulation from 2015-2021 |
Brackets | [ ] | He[peter] is a dog lover |
Apostrophe | ’ | It’s my pleasure always |
Comma | , | Adam, I am glad to meet you |
Slash | / | This can be his/her book |
Ellipsis | … | The countdown started 8,7,6 … and everyone started clapping |
Quotation Mark | “ ” | “I will rebuild this nation to be a global power house” |
Few Commonly Used Symbols. What is it Called
There are 70 plus symbols in the English language. Let’s look at some common ones that we use with examples

Name of the Symbol | Symbol | Practical Example |
Ampersand | & | P&L (profit and loss), B&B (bed and breakfast) |
Asterisk | * | He scored 100* ( not out) in the first innings |
Backslash | \ | |
Braces | { } | Choose a color {black, red, gold, silver} to buy a phone cover |
At sign | @ | contactus@gmail.com |
Number Sign ( Hashtag) | # | #love#happiness#holiday |
Numero sign | № | We live in № 86 |
Percentage sign | % | 90% |
Tie | ⁀ | i͡a for я |
Plus sign | + | 2+2= 4 |
Minus sign | – | 5-2 =3 |
Diameter sign | ⌀ | ⌀ 37mm |
Equals sign | = | 2+2=4 |
Division sign | ÷ | 10 ÷ 2 =5 |
Multiplication sign | × | 5×2 =10 |
Plus/ Minus sign | ± | 50g ± 2g ( 50 grams plus or minus 2 grams) |
Less than sign | < | 2 < 5 |
More than sign | > | 5 > 2 |
Section sign | § | §23 ( Section 23) |
There for sign | ∴ | y+ 8 = 20 ∴ y = 12 |
Underscore | _ | peter_shillion ( username) |
Trade Mark | ™ | McAfee™ |
Registered trademark | ® | Coca-Cola® |
Service Mark | ℠ | Just Do It |
Copyright Sign | © | 2022©whenhowandwhat |
Tilde | ~ | ~60 seconds after (Approximately 60 seconds after) |
Degrees sign | ° | 25°c, 35°F |
Manicule | ☞ | Exit ☞ |
References
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/punctuation
https://hbr.org/2009/03/academia-vs-industry-the-diffe
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/punctuation-mark