What does an asterisk mean?
An asterisk (*) usually means "there's more to this": a footnote, a condition, or a correction. It also stands in for multiplication in code, for hidden letters in censored words, and for required fields on forms. The meaning depends on where you see it.
The asterisk in every context
| Where you see it | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| After a word or price, with a note below | See the footnote or fine print | Free shipping* |
| At the start of a chat message | "I meant to type this" | *their |
| Around a word in a chat | Emphasis, or an action | I *really* mean it / *waves* |
| Inside a word | Letters hidden on purpose | f***, sh*t |
| Next to a sports record | The record comes with a catch | 61* |
| Between numbers | Multiplication | 6*7 |
| In code, search and spreadsheets | Multiply, "anything", "everything" or a pointer, by language: see the asterisk in code | SELECT * |
| Next to a form label | This field is required | Email* |
| Before a sentence in linguistics | This sentence is ungrammatical | *Her went home. |
Guides to each meaning
- In textingIn texts, *word fixes a typo, *word* adds emphasis or bold, and *waves* describes an action. Here's what asterisks do in WhatsApp, Slack, Discord and more.
- FootnotesPut the asterisk right after the word or punctuation it refers to, then start the note with the same asterisk. Placement rules and examples.
- Censored wordsAsterisks hide letters in swear words so readers recognise the word without seeing it in full. Which letters to replace, and alternatives like grawlixes.
- Sports recordsAn asterisk on a sports record means it comes with a catch. The idea started with Roger Maris in 1961, though no asterisk was ever printed.
- MathIn math and code, * usually means multiplication. It can also mean convolution, a complex conjugate, a dual space or the Kleene star.
- Required fieldsAn asterisk next to a form label means the field is required. Here's how to use the * convention so every user, including screen reader users, understands it.
- GrammarThe asterisk marks footnotes, omitted letters and, in linguistics, ungrammatical or reconstructed forms. Here's how to use it correctly in writing.
Where the word comes from
"Asterisk" comes from the Greek asteriskos, meaning "little star". Scribes used a star-shaped mark in the margins of manuscripts to flag passages for attention, and the mark has been pointing readers somewhere else ever since.
How to pronounce it
It's AS-tuh-risk, with three syllables and a k sound at the end. Two common slips are "asterix" (that's the comic-book Gaul) and "asterick". The plural is asterisks.