What ␡ means
A visible label for DEL, a code computers never draw.
Text in a computer mixes letters with control codes: silent instructions such as new line, tab or ring the bell. Because you can't see them, Unicode gives each one a picture so manuals, code charts and debugging tools can show them. ␡ is the picture for DEL. Fonts usually draw it as tiny letters D, E, L, often set diagonally.
Typing or pasting ␡ gives you ordinary text. It does not erase the character before or after it.
Why is delete the last code, number 127?
Because 127 means every hole punched on paper tape.
ASCII codes use seven bits, and 127 is 1111111, all of them on. Early computers and teleprinters stored text as holes in paper tape, and a hole can't be un-punched. To cancel a wrong character, the operator backed up and punched all seven holes over it; machines reading the tape skipped that pattern. Teleprinter keyboards labelled the key RUBOUT.
The code outlived the tape. Depending on the system, the Backspace key on a keyboard sends DEL or BS (code 8, pictured ), which is why terminals sometimes print odd characters when you erase.
Neutral technical notation; it shows up in computing references, not in casual chat.
It looks like a delete button but does nothing when typed.
Part of collections
What it means when someone sends it to you
2 readingsNames position 127, the DEL control code.
Don't confuse it with
4
? ^? is two-character caret notation for DEL; ␡ is its single picture.
Related characters
1
Combination ideas
4Worth knowing
- DEL is the only ASCII control code that doesn't sit with the others at 0–31; it stands alone at the very top, 127, for its paper-tape reason.
Questions people ask
2Does ␡ delete text?
No. It is a picture of the DEL code, an ordinary printable character that erases nothing.
Why do I see a box instead of ␡?
Your font lacks this rarely used character. Another font or device will show it; the character itself is intact.
More like this
13
Collections with ␡
2
How to type or find ␡
- Also called
- DEL symbol · RUBOUT · control picture DEL
- Search it as
- DEL · delete symbol · ASCII 127 · control picture · 0x7F
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
␡\2421Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.