͝ Combining Double Breve

Q: Can I use ͝ as a general short-vowel symbol?

No. o͝o is a convention in particular dictionary pronunciation keys. Read it using that key; the mark has no universal vowel value.

What ͝ means

Put ͝ between the two letters it should span. In o͝o, the order is first o, then the mark, then second o; in the text, the mark follows the first letter, while its glyph is meant to stretch across both.

This oo breve is a compact pronunciation respelling. As of 2026, the American Heritage Dictionary’s pronunciation key uses o͝o for the short vowel in the English word “took”; the key is its own system, separate from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), a system for writing speech sounds.

Why does ͝ move or break in some fonts?

The font has to draw the mark across both letters. It can extend the mark from the first letter or use a ligature, one joined shape for the whole sequence. Without that support, the curve may look broken or sit over just the first letter; the text order is still first letter, mark, second letter.

Similar-looking marks do other jobs: IPA ties connect sound symbols, a double macron marks a different dictionary vowel spelling, and a single breve sits over one letter.

Where did ͝ come from?

A 2002 Unicode discussion—a conversation about the standard that assigns codes to text characters—already describes the mark in Webster-style pronunciation guides, so the notation predates its Unicode entry.

The dictionary mark and IPA ties are visually related but belong to different notation traditions. The ties connect pairs of speech-sound symbols; this mark stretches a breve across a two-letter dictionary respelling.

Specialist notation for dictionary pronunciation keys; its reading depends on the guide’s key.

Use it between the two letters it spans; by itself, it does not show its pronunciation-guide value.

Part of the collection

Z̷

Zalgo & Glitch Text Characters

Don't confuse it with

4

o͡o An IPA tie above two sound symbols joins them as one sound; ͝ instead spans two letters in dictionary respelling.

o͜o An IPA tie below two sound symbols marks a single sound or simultaneous articulation; it is not the dictionary-style breve.

o͞o A double macron, not a breve; dictionary pronunciation keys use it for a different vowel spelling.

ŏ A single breve sits over one letter; it does not span a two-letter sequence.

Related characters

2

͡

Combining Double Inverted Breve

This above tie is used in IPA, a system for writing speech sounds, to join two sound symbols as one sound. The double breve instead spans letters in some dictionary respellings.

͜

Combining Double Breve Below

This below tie is another IPA mark for connecting sound symbols, including to show simultaneous articulation. The double breve has a different dictionary-respelling role.

Combination ideas

1

Webster-style pronunciation spelling for the short vowel in the English word “took”.

Questions people ask

2

Why is ͝ missing or stuck over one letter?

Font support. The mark follows one base letter in the text but its glyph has to reach across the next; a font without that overhang or a whole-sequence ligature may show it on only one letter.