Symbols

Division Symbol (÷): How to Type, Copy, and Use It

ByGlenda Jnku

Copy and paste the division symbol

The division sign and the slash, with the codes you’re likely to need. Use the grid above to copy with one click; this table is the reference.

Symbol	Name	Unicode	Windows	HTML
÷	division sign	U+00F7	Alt + 0247	÷
/	solidus (slash)	U+002F	on the keyboard	/
∕	division slash	U+2215	Alt + 8725	∕
:	colon (ratio)	U+003A	on the keyboard	:

The ÷ sign isn’t on a standard keyboard (though the slash and colon are), so it takes a shortcut, a code, or a copy. The sections below cover each device, then the tangled story of how to write division.

How to type the division symbol on any device

Type ÷ on Windows

Use the Alt code: turn on Num Lock, hold Alt, and type 0247 on the numeric keypad for ÷. (The shorter Alt + 246 also works in many apps.) On a laptop with no keypad, press Windows + . for the symbol panel and search “division.”

Type ÷ on Mac

On a Mac, press Option + / (Option and the forward-slash key) for ÷. It’s a single shortcut with no dead-key step, which makes the Mac one of the easiest places to type it.

Type ÷ on iPhone and Android

On the symbols keyboard (123 then #+=), the ÷ is usually there; on some keyboards it’s a long-press on the slash / key. If you can’t find it, copy ÷ from the grid above, or use the calculator app.

Type ÷ in Microsoft Word

Type 00F7 then press Alt + X to convert the code into ÷. Or use Insert → Symbol. The Windows Alt code, Alt + 0247, also works. In the equation editor (Alt + =), \div gives ÷.

Type ÷ on Linux

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00f7, then Enter. With a Compose key, Compose then : then – also makes ÷.

Add ÷ in HTML and CSS

In HTML, ÷ is ÷ or the numeric ÷. In CSS, a ÷ in a content value is the escaped code point \00F7.

The obelus: the division sign’s name and origin

The ÷ has a proper name, the obelus, and a past that has nothing to do with maths. In ancient manuscripts, an obelus (a dash, sometimes with dots, related to the dagger †) was an editing mark: scribes and scholars drew it in the margin next to a line they thought was doubtful, corrupt, or spurious — a “this passage may be fake” flag. The word comes from the Greek for a pointed pillar or spit.

It only became the division sign in 1659, when the Swiss mathematician Johann Rahn used ÷ for division in an algebra book. The shape is nicely logical for the job: the dash is a fraction bar and the two dots stand for the numbers above and below it, so ÷ is a tiny picture of a fraction. So the symbol went from marking suspicious text to meaning “divide” — and, as the next sections show, it’s now drifting back out of favour.

The many ways to show division

Division is written several ways, and picking the right one matters more than it does for the other operations, because some forms are clearer than others. Here are the four you’ll meet.

The ÷ sign is the classic for arithmetic and school maths (12 ÷ 4). The slash / is used inline and in code, spreadsheets, and fractions (12/4, or a/b). The colon : shows ratios (3 : 1) and, in much of Europe, division itself. And the horizontal fraction bar — one number stacked over another — is the clearest form and the one higher maths prefers, because it leaves no doubt about what’s on top and what’s on the bottom.

Form	Used for	Example
÷	arithmetic, school	12 ÷ 4
/	inline, code, fractions	12/4
:	ratios, European division	3 : 1
fraction bar	higher maths (clearest)	12 over 4

Division in Europe: ÷ vs the colon

Here’s something that surprises English speakers: in much of the world, ÷ isn’t the division sign at all — the colon is. In Germany, France, and many other European countries, division is written with a colon: 6 : 2 = 3. Children there learn : for divide the way English-speaking children learn ÷.

This isn’t just habit. The international standard ISO 80000-2, which governs mathematical notation, actually recommends against using ÷ for division, precisely because it can be ambiguous, and suggests the fraction bar or the colon instead. So the ÷ you learned in school is largely an English-speaking convention — common in the US, UK, and their maths textbooks, but genuinely unusual elsewhere. If you correspond with mathematicians or European colleagues, don’t be surprised to see 6 : 2 where you’d expect 6 ÷ 2.

Why ÷ causes viral maths arguments

Every so often a maths problem like 6 ÷ 2(1 + 3) goes viral, with thousands of people fighting over whether the answer is 1 or 9. The ÷ sign is the reason, and it’s exactly why serious maths avoids it.

The trouble is that ÷ doesn’t show where the denominator ends. In 6 ÷ 2(1 + 3), is the 6 divided by just the 2, or by the whole 2(1 + 3)? A fraction bar would make it obvious — you’d physically see what’s on the bottom — but written in a line with ÷, it depends on how strictly you apply the order of operations, and reasonable people read it differently. The lesson isn’t that one side is right; it’s that the notation is ambiguous, and the fix is to write the division as a proper fraction or add brackets: 6 ÷ (2 × (1 + 3)) or (6 ÷ 2)(1 + 3). When clarity matters, don’t make a ÷ do a fraction bar’s job.

÷ in code and spreadsheets: use the slash

In programming and spreadsheets, division is the forward slash /, never ÷. Writing 12 / 4 divides; writing 12 ÷ 4 is a syntax error, because the language doesn’t recognise ÷ as an operator. In Excel and Google Sheets it’s =A1/B1; in JavaScript, Python, C, and most languages, a / b.

One coding gotcha worth knowing: in some languages, dividing two whole numbers throws away the remainder (7 / 2 gives 3, not 3.5) — that’s integer division. To get a decimal, make one number a float (7 / 2.0) or use the right operator for your language. In a URL, ÷ is percent-encoded as %C3%B7, and the escape in code is \u00F7 — but again, that’s for displaying the character, not dividing.

Copy-paste HTML codes

Every code for the division sign and its relatives in one place. Click a cell and copy.

Symbol	Named entity	Numeric entity	URL (percent) code
÷	÷	÷	%C3%B7
/	/	/	%2F
∕	—	∕	%E2%88%95

In a CSS content value, use \00F7 for ÷. For the multiplication side, see the [multiplication symbol](/multiplication-symbol/) guide; for stacked fractions, the [fraction symbol in Word](/fraction-symbol-in-word/) guide; and for every operator, the [math symbols Alt codes](/math-symbols-on-keyboard-alt-codes/) reference.

Troubleshooting

My ÷ shows as a box or garbled text

That’s an encoding mismatch: the UTF-8 bytes for ÷ are being read as an older encoding. Set the file, database, and page charset to UTF-8 and ÷ displays correctly.

My 12 ÷ 4 won’t calculate in Excel

Excel doesn’t recognise ÷ as division. Use the slash: =12/4 or =A1/B1. The ÷ is only for display text, not for the formula.

Alt + 0247 isn’t working

Make sure Num Lock is on and you’re using the numeric keypad, not the top-row numbers. On a laptop without a keypad, use Windows + . and search “division,” or copy ÷ from the grid above.

FAQ

How do I type the division symbol?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 0247. On a Mac, press Option + / (the slash key). In Word, type 00F7 then Alt + X. In HTML, write ÷. Or click ÷ in the grid above.

What is the division symbol called?

The obelus. It began as an ancient editing mark for doubtful text and only became the division sign in 1659. The dash and two dots represent a fraction: the numbers above and below a bar.

Why do some countries use : instead of ÷?

In Germany, France, and much of Europe, division is written with a colon (6 : 2 = 3). The ÷ is mainly an English-speaking convention, and the ISO standard actually recommends the fraction bar or colon over ÷.

How do I divide in Excel or code?

Use the slash, not ÷: =A1/B1 in Excel, a / b in most programming languages. The ÷ character is not a valid operator and causes an error.

How do I write ÷ in HTML?

Use ÷ or ÷. In a URL, ÷ is percent-encoded as %C3%B7.