Two asterisks, vertical ⁑
Two asterisks stacked on top of each other, as a single character.
Two asterisks, vertical codes
| Unicode | U+2051 |
| Official name | TWO ASTERISKS ALIGNED VERTICALLY |
| Unicode block | General Punctuation |
| HTML (hex) | ⁑ |
| HTML (decimal) | ⁑ |
| CSS | content: "\2051"; |
| JavaScript | "\u2051" |
| Python | "\N{TWO ASTERISKS ALIGNED VERTICALLY}" |
| URL-encoded | %E2%81%91 |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 81 91 |
How to type ⁑
- Mac: press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer and search for “two asterisks aligned vertically”. Or switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, hold Option and type
2051. - Windows: in Word, type
2051and press Alt + X. Windows has no Alt code for this character, so copying it from this page is the fastest route in other apps. - Chromebook and Linux: press Ctrl + Shift + U, type
2051, then press Space or Enter. - iPhone and Android: copy it from this page, then save it as a text replacement so a short code like
;asttypes it for you. Here's how on iPhone.
What the two asterisks, vertical is used for
- A second footnote marker that takes up the width of one character.
- Tables and narrow columns where ** would be too wide.
- Decorative dividers.
Good to know
When a page has more than one asterisk note, writers often use * and then **. This character gives you the double version in a single column width, so footnote markers stay aligned.
Will it show up? Supported by most current system fonts.