Asterisk vs. star
An asterisk (*) is a punctuation mark: lines radiating from a centre, used for footnotes, wildcards and multiplication. A star (★) is a filled shape used for ratings and decoration. They look related, and the name "asterisk" literally means "little star", but software treats them very differently.
Side by side
| Asterisk | Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Character | ||
| Code point | U+002A |
U+2605 |
| Shape | 5 to 8 thin arms from a centre point | Solid five-pointed polygon |
| On a keyboard? | Yes, Shift + 8 | No |
| Used for | Footnotes, multiplication, wildcards, Markdown, required fields | Ratings, favourites, decoration |
| Special meaning to software | Often (wildcard, multiply, bold) | Almost never |
When to use which
- Ratings: use ★ and ☆. "★★★★☆" is instantly readable. **** in a review looks like a censored word.
- Footnotes and fine print: use *. A star reads as decoration, not as "see below".
- Code, formulas and search: only * works. Software won't treat ★ as a wildcard or multiplication sign.
- Bullets and decoration: either. For an asterisk look with more weight, try the heavy asterisk ✱.
The asterism ⁂ and the dinkus * * *
Three asterisks have two traditional arrangements:
- Asterism : three asterisks in a triangle, an older mark for a section break. More about the asterism.
- Dinkus * * *: three spaced asterisks in a row, centred on its own line. It's the common section break in modern books and articles.
Other lookalikes
The reference mark does a footnote-like job in Japanese and Chinese text. The star operator is a math symbol. The full list of asterisks and lookalikes has codes for all of them.