Multiplication sign (×) in HTML
The multiplication sign is the proper character for a product and for dimensions. Its named reference is × and its code point is U+00D7, and it is not the lowercase letter x.
At a glance
- Character
- ×
- Named entity
- ×
- Decimal reference
- ×
- Hex reference
- ×
- Unicode code point
- U+00D7
- Unicode name
- MULTIPLICATION SIGN
- In the entity reference
- Math, and pinned in quick access
In detail
The letter x and the multiplication sign are different shapes doing different jobs. The letter has serifs or terminals designed to sit in a word and it inherits the italic and weight treatment of the surrounding text; the sign is a symmetrical cross drawn at the same height and weight as a plus sign, which is why a row of dimensions set with the real character lines up and a row set with the letter does not.
Image and screen dimensions are where this shows up most on the web. Written with the correct character, a resolution reads as a product of two numbers to a human and to a screen reader, which announces it as times. Written with a letter it reads as a number, a letter and another number, and a search for one form will not find the other.
Several other crosses exist and mean different things. The vector cross product is a larger character at U+2A2F, the multiplication x at U+2715 is a dingbat used for close buttons and carries no arithmetic meaning, and the dot operator at U+22C5 is the preferred multiplication symbol in much of continental European and scientific notation. Picking by shape rather than by meaning is how a close button ends up being announced as a multiplication sign.
For dimensions in body copy, keep the numbers and the sign together with non-breaking spaces so a resolution never splits across a line. A thin space on each side is the typographically correct amount, but a hair of extra room from CSS letter spacing works just as well and does not add characters to the string.
Examples
<p>Export at 1920 × 1080 for a widescreen display.</p>
<p>The sensor is 36 × 24 mm.</p><p>product: 6 × 7 = 42</p>
<p>dot operator: 6 ⋅ 7 = 42</p>
<p>cross product: a ⨯ b</p>
<p>close button glyph: ✕</p>Things that catch people out
- Using a letter x for dimensions means a search for one spelling misses the other, and it changes what a screen reader says.
- The close button cross at U+2715 has no arithmetic meaning, so a dismiss control built from the multiplication sign is announced as maths rather than as a close action. Label the button.
- In a monospace column the letter x and the sign have the same advance but different optical weights, so a mixed column looks ragged even when it is aligned.
Try it: HTML Entity Reference
Search 152 entities across 9 categories, switch the copy format between the character, the name, the decimal form and the hex form, and copy in one click.
HTML Entity Reference
LOCAL · Browser-OnlySearchable reference of 150+ HTML entities with one-click copy in any format
152 entities across 9 categories
Commonly Used
→Arrows(13)
±Math(35)
$Currency(8)
…Punctuation(21)
©Symbols(24)
πGreek(30)
½Fractions(6)
●Geometric(7)
æLatin Special(8)
Click any entity card to copy it in your chosen format. All data is embedded in the page and works offline.
Related HTML entities
All html entities →Division sign (÷) in HTML
The division sign at U+00F7, its entity forms, why standards bodies discourage it, and the slash and fraction characters that replace it in published maths.
Minus sign (−) in HTML
The true minus sign at U+2212 and the hyphen-minus at U+002D. Why negative numbers in a table need the real character, and where it breaks copy and paste.
Check mark and cross mark characters in HTML
The tick and cross characters at U+2713, U+2714, U+2717 and U+2718, their numeric references, font coverage problems, and why colour alone is not enough.
Not equal to sign (≠) in HTML
The not equal to sign at U+2260, its entity forms, why the composed and combining versions differ, and how it compares to the operators used in code.
Less than or equal (≤) and greater than or equal (≥)
The inequality signs at U+2264 and U+2265, their entity forms, the slanted variants used in some traditions, and when to keep the ASCII operators instead.
Approximately equal to (≈) in HTML
The almost equal to sign at U+2248 with its entity forms, and how it differs from the congruent, asymptotic and identical to signs it is confused with.
Tools for this
- HTML Entity Reference Free online HTML entity reference - search and copy HTML entities with live preview
- HTML Entity Encoder Free online HTML entity encoder - encode or decode HTML entities to prevent XSS and display issues