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␒

symbol for device control two

Symbol for Device Control Two

␒ is the visible control picture for DC2: it labels the code instead of performing its action. ASCII left DC2's device-control job open-ended; Teletype Model 33 equipment used it to start a paper-tape punch. In a log or raw-data view, read ␒ as a marker for an otherwise invisible position.

Text symbol
Also called
DC2
Search it as
Ctrl-R · ASCII DC2 · Teletype DC2 · paper-tape punch · control-picture symbol · DC2 symbol
Shows up in
Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws

What ␒ means

It marks DC2 without performing the control action. In ASCII notation, Ctrl-R names DC2; whether a Ctrl-R keystroke sends it depends on the software.

ASCII 1963 left DC2 as a generic device-control slot, so the machine or protocol supplied its job. On Teletype Model 33 equipment, DC2 started the paper-tape punch and DC4 stopped it; DC1 and DC3 formed a separate pair for controlling the paper-tape reader.

Unicode's control-picture guidance permits alternate drawings, so fonts and terminal tools may show the label differently.

Don't confuse it with

4
␑
Symbol For Device Control One
shares “control”, “device”, “for”, “symbol”
␓
Symbol For Device Control Three
shares “control”, “device”, “for”, “symbol”
␔
Symbol For Device Control Four
shares “control”, “device”, “for”, “symbol”
␥
Symbol For Delete Form Two
shares “for”, “symbol”, “two”

Questions people ask

1

Why does ␒ show as a box on some devices?

Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.

How to type ␒

Windows (Word)
Alt+XType 2412, then Alt+X to get ␒.
Windows
Win+Rrun charmap for the full table, or use the emoji picker's Ω symbols tab (Win + .).
macOS
Control+Command+SpaceOpen the character viewer and search “symbol for device control two”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType 2412, then Enter or Space.
HTML
␒
CSS
\2412
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
␒
HTML hex
␒
CSS content
content: "\2412";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%E2%90%92
1
On screen
1
Code points
1
JS .length
3
UTF-8 bytes

A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.

Families this belongs to

1

Control pictures55 symbols

␀␁␂␃␄␅␆␇␈␉␊␋