--- title: "HTML Entity Finder" description: "Search and find HTML entities, special characters, and symbols instantly. Look up entity names, decimal codes, and hex codes for arrows, math symbols, currency signs, and more. Copy with one click." url: https://findutils.com/developers/html-entity-finder/ category: developers --- # HTML Entity Finder Search and find HTML entities, special characters, and symbols instantly. Look up entity names, decimal codes, and hex codes for arrows, math symbols, currency signs, and more. Copy with one click. **Use this tool:** [HTML Entity Finder](https://findutils.com/developers/html-entity-finder/) ## Programmatic access - REST id `html-entity-finder`: POST https://api.findutils.com/api/tools/html-entity-finder/execute (reference: https://findutils.com/api/html-entity-finder/) - MCP tool `html_entity_finder` on https://mcp.findutils.com (reference: https://findutils.com/mcp/html-entity-finder/) ## Why Use HTML Entity Finder? HTML entities are essential for displaying special characters in web pages that would otherwise be interpreted as HTML code. Characters like angle brackets, ampersands, and non-breaking spaces must be encoded as entities to render correctly. Our HTML Entity Finder makes it effortless to search across hundreds of entities by name, character, or description — no more guessing or scrolling through long reference tables. Developers, technical writers, and content creators frequently need to insert symbols like copyright signs, arrows, mathematical operators, or currency symbols into their HTML. This tool provides the named entity (like &copy;), the decimal code (like &#169;), and the hex code (like &#xA9;) for every character, all copyable with a single click. Filter by category to browse related symbols or use fuzzy search to find exactly what you need. ## Tips for Working with HTML Entities - Use named entities like — for readability in your source code. They are easier to understand at a glance than numeric codes like —. - For maximum browser compatibility with obscure symbols, prefer decimal or hex codes over named entities. Numeric references are universally supported. - Always encode ampersands as & in URLs within HTML attributes. An unencoded ampersand can break query strings and cause validation errors. - Use   (non-breaking space) to prevent unwanted line breaks between words that should stay together, like '100 km' or 'Dr. Smith'. - Pair this tool with the HTML Formatter to clean up pages that mix raw characters with entity codes, ensuring consistent encoding throughout your markup. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the difference between named entities and numeric codes? Named entities like © are human-readable aliases, while decimal codes like © and hex codes like © are numeric references. All three render the same character. Named entities are easier to remember, but numeric codes have broader browser support for uncommon characters. ### How many HTML entities are included? Our database includes 250+ commonly used HTML entities across categories including punctuation, arrows, mathematical operators, currency symbols, Greek letters, technical symbols, and more. ### Can I search by the character itself? Yes. You can search by the rendered character, the entity name, the description, or any related keyword. For example, searching for the actual arrow character or the word 'arrow' both work. ### Do these entities work in all browsers? Named entities for common characters (like &, <, >, ©) are universally supported. For less common symbols, the decimal and hex codes provide the most reliable cross-browser compatibility. ### Is this tool useful for non-HTML contexts? Yes. While the named entities are HTML-specific, the characters themselves can be copied and used in any context — emails, documents, social media posts, or code comments. Just use the 'Copy Character' button to get the raw character. ### What are the most commonly used HTML entities? The most frequently used HTML entities are & (ampersand), < and > (angle brackets),   (non-breaking space), © (copyright), ® (registered trademark), and — (em dash). These appear in virtually every web page and are essential for proper HTML rendering. ### How do I use HTML entities in CSS or JavaScript? In CSS, use the hex code format with a backslash, like content: '\00A9' for the copyright symbol. In JavaScript, you can use Unicode escape sequences like '\u00A9' or insert the character directly into template literals. The hex codes from this tool can be converted to either format. ### Why do some characters show as squares or question marks? If a character displays as a square, diamond, or question mark, it means your browser or operating system does not have a font that includes that glyph. This is common with rare mathematical symbols or obscure Unicode characters. The HTML entity code is still valid — the display issue is font-related. ### Can I use HTML entities in Markdown or JSX? In Markdown, most HTML entities render correctly when included as raw HTML. In JSX (React), named entities like © work inside JSX text, but inside JavaScript strings you need Unicode escapes or the actual character. Use the Copy Character button to grab the raw character for JSX strings. ### Is my search data stored or sent to a server? No. HTML Entity Finder runs entirely in your browser. No search queries, copied text, or usage data is sent to any server. The full entity database loads with the page and all searching happens client-side. ## Related Tools - [HTML Formatter](https://findutils.com/developers/html-formatter/) - [URL Encoder/Decoder](https://findutils.com/network/url-encoder-decoder/) - [Base64 Encoder](https://findutils.com/developers/base64-encoder/) - [HTML to Markdown](https://findutils.com/convert/html-to-markdown/) - [Meta Tag Generator](https://findutils.com/seo/meta-tag-generator/) - [JSON-LD Generator](https://findutils.com/seo/json-ld-generator/) - [Text Encryption](https://findutils.com/security/text-encryption/) - [Character Counter](https://findutils.com/text/character-counter/)