*
Template documentationThis template produces an asterisk for times when typing an asterisk directly would create an unordered list item.
Usage
{{asterisk}} This is text starting with an asterisk.
produces:
* This is text starting with an asterisk.
Accessible symbols
Wikipedia previously provided templates that generated images with alt text for symbols not read by screen readers.[1]
As of 2023,[2] the symbols in the table below will be read in the default configuration of all three major screen readers (JAWS, Apple's VoiceOver and NVDA).
Depending on user-configured verbosity settings, a reader may hear additional characters read aloud or fewer typographic or punctuation characters read aloud.[3]
| Symbol | Pronounced as | HTML entity | Template name |
|---|---|---|---|
| * | "star" or "asterisk" | * |
{{asterisk}} |
| † | "dagger" or "single dagger" | † |
{{dagger}} |
| ‡ | "double dagger" | ‡ |
{{double-dagger}} |
| # | "number" or "hash tag" | # |
{{number sign}} or {{hash-tag}} |
| ° | "degree" or "degrees" | ° |
{{degree}} |
| → | "right arrow" or "rightwards arrow" | → |
{{arrow}} |
| ↓ | "down arrow" or "downwards arrow" | ↓ |
{{down-arrow}} |
| ← | "left arrow" or "leftwards arrow" | ← |
{{left-arrow}} |
| ↑ | "up arrow" or "upwards arrow" | ↑ |
{{up-arrow}} |
| ′ | "prime" | ′ |
{{prime}} |
Notes
- Bohman, Paul (20 January 2014). "Why Don't Screen Readers Always Read What's on the Screen? Part 1: Punctuation and Typographic Symbols".
- Ragas, Sophie (17 March 2023). "How screen readers read special characters: an update".
- AudioEye (14 September 2013). "How Screen Readers Make Digital Content Accessible".