Unicode encodes several quotation marks, each with different use cases. Here is an incomplete overview.
Typographically correct punctuation may be mistaken for a sign that the text was generated by AI.
Quotation marks #
Double quotation mark #
U+0022 QUOTATION MARK
Back in the day, having separate characters for left and right quotation marks was an unaffordable luxury. But since they look nearly identical (in English at least) anyway, we have the “neutral” quotation mark. And because it is so easy to type on a keyboard, it is still in widespread use to this day.
Usage:
- In program code
Questionable uses:
- Quotation marks as a substitute for the double left or double right quotation mark
Single quotation mark #
U+0027 APOSTROPHE
Is called apostrophe in the Unicode standard despite not actually being one. Other than that, the same principle applies as with the double quotation mark.
Usage:
- In program code
Questionable uses:
- Nested quotation marks as a substitute for the single left or single right quotation mark
- Apostrophe as a substitute for the single right quotation mark (which is also the typographically correct apostrophe)
Double left quotation mark #
U+201C LEFT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK
Usage:
- Quotation mark at the beginning of a quote
- In German: Quotation mark at the end of a quote
Double right quotation mark #
U+201D RIGHT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK
Usage:
- Quotation mark at the end of a quote
Double low quotation mark #
U+201E DOUBLE LOW-9 QUOTATION MARK
Usage:
- In German: Quotation mark at the beginning of a quote
Single left quotation mark #
U+2018 LEFT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK
Usage:
- Quotation mark at the beginning of a nested quote
- In German: Quotation mark at the end of a nested quote
Single right quotation mark #
U+2019 RIGHT SINGLE QUOTATION MARK
The single right quotation mark shares its code point with the typographically correct apostrophe.
Usage:
- Quotation mark at the end of a nested quote
- Apostrophe
Single low quotation mark #
U+201A SINGLE LOW-9 QUOTATION MARK
Not to be confused with the nearly identical-looking comma!
Usage:
- In German: Quotation mark at the beginning of a nested quote
- Playing pranks on your coworkers due to the optical similarity to the comma
Guillemets #
Guillemets are used as quotation marks in some languages. In French and Swiss German, they point outwards, whereas in the German of Germany and Austrian German, they point inwards.
Left-pointing double guillemet #
U+00AB LEFT-POINTING DOUBLE ANGLE QUOTATION MARK
Usage:
- In French and Swiss German: Quotation mark at the beginning of a quote
- In the German of Germany and Austrian German: Quotation mark at the end of a quote
Right-pointing double guillemet #
U+00BB RIGHT-POINTING DOUBLE ANGLE QUOTATION MARK
Usage:
- In French and Swiss German: Quotation mark at the end of a quote
- In the German of Germany and Austrian German: Quotation mark at the beginning of a quote
Left-pointing single guillemet #
U+2039 SINGLE LEFT-POINTING ANGLE QUOTATION MARK
Usage:
- In French and Swiss German: Quotation mark at the beginning of a nested quote
- In the German of Germany and Austrian German: Quotation mark at the end of a nested quote
Right-pointing single guillemet #
U+203A SINGLE RIGHT-POINTING ANGLE QUOTATION MARK
Usage:
- In French and Swiss German: Quotation mark at the end of a nested quote
- In the German of Germany and Austrian German: Quotation mark at the beginning of a nested quote
Not quotation marks #
These characters should not be used as quotation marks under any circumstance, despite their optical similarity:
- Accents: `´
- Comma: ,
- Greater-than and less-than signs: <>
- Primes: ′ ″