Ring Above

It is a spacing form of the ring diacritic. Also called an overring, it takes its own text position; the combining ring ◌̊ follows a base letter and sits above it.

Ring-bearing letters have their own histories. A 2023 study traces Czech ů to an older uo spelling and Scandinavian å to earlier aa writing. One account dates Swedish use to the 1400s; Swedish print records show the letter in 1526.

Why can the same ring mean different things?

The letter or notation sets its meaning. In Scandinavian spelling, å is a full letter with its own sound. Czech ů marks a long u vowel and reflects an older link to o. In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), a combining ring above a consonant marks it as voiceless.

Use the finished letter å or ů when that spelling calls for one; typing ˚ after a letter does not create either character.

Is ˚ the same as ° or ◌̊?

No: ° measures degrees; ◌̊ attaches; ˚ stands apart. Use ° for temperatures and angles. Put ◌̊ after a base letter when the ring should attach; choose a complete letter such as å or ů when its spelling calls for one.

Unicode gives ˚ a compatibility decomposition—a conversion to a space plus the combining ring. Software applying that conversion can treat it as two characters instead of one spacing mark.