HtmlHow-ToBeginner · 3 min read

How to Add Copyright Symbol in HTML: Simple Syntax & Examples

To add a copyright symbol in HTML, use the character entity © or the numeric code ©. These codes display the © symbol in the browser without needing special fonts.

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Syntax

In HTML, you can add the copyright symbol using special codes called character entities. The two common ways are:

© — named entity for ©
© — numeric entity for ©

Both codes tell the browser to show the copyright symbol.

html

&copy; or &#169;

Output

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Example

This example shows how to add the copyright symbol in a simple HTML page using both methods.

html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Copyright Symbol Example</title>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using named entity: &amp;copy; 2024 My Website</p>
  <p>Using numeric entity: &#169; 2024 My Website</p>
</body>
</html>

Output

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Common Pitfalls

Some common mistakes when adding the copyright symbol in HTML are:

Typing © without the semicolon ; at the end. The browser won't recognize it correctly.
Using plain text © without encoding, which may cause issues in some editors or encodings.
Copy-pasting the symbol directly without ensuring the file encoding supports it, which can cause display errors.

Always use © or © with the semicolon for best results.

html

<!-- Wrong -->
<p>&copy 2024 My Website</p>

<!-- Correct -->
<p>&copy; 2024 My Website</p>

Output

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Quick Reference

Code	Description	Output
©	Named character entity for copyright symbol	©
©	Numeric character entity for copyright symbol	©
©	Direct symbol (ensure UTF-8 encoding)	©

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Key Takeaways

Always include the semicolon at the end of the entity code for correct display.

Avoid typing the symbol directly unless your file encoding is UTF-8.

Using character entities ensures consistent display across browsers and editors.