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U+00FE · Latin-1 Supplement

Latin Small Letter Thorn þ

Thorn (þ) is a letter for the th sound, used today only in Icelandic, where it starts words like þú (you) and þakka (thank). It was common in Old and Middle English until printers replaced it with th. Its handwritten shape resembled a y, which is how the old spelling þe (the) produced the mock-antique “Ye Olde” shop signs.

WindowsAlt 0254
UnicodeU+00FE
HTMLþ
þU+00FE

Character codes

Unicode code pointU+00FE
Decimal254
HTML named entityþ
HTML (hex)þ
HTML (decimal)þ
CSS\00FE
JavaScript\u00FE
Python\u00FE
UTF-8 bytesC3 BE
UTF-1600FE
URL-encoded%C3%BE

Character details

Official nameLATIN SMALL LETTER THORN
Unicode blockLatin-1 Supplement
General categoryLowercase Letter (Ll)
SymbolHero categoryAccented Letters
UppercaseÞ Latin Capital Letter Thorn
EmojiNo

How to type þ

Windows

  • Hold Alt and type 0254 on the numeric keypad (Num Lock on), then release Alt. Alt 0254 uses the Windows-1252 code page.
  • In Microsoft Word or Outlook: type 00FE then press Alt + X.
  • Open Character Map (search “Character Map” in Start), tick “Advanced view”, search for “latin small letter thorn”, then Select and Copy.

Mac

  • Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search “latin small letter thorn”, and double-click the result.
  • With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 00FE.

iPhone & Android

  • Tap Copy at the top of this page, then long-press where you want it and choose Paste.

Docs & web

  • Google Docs: Insert → Special characters, then search “latin small letter thorn” or enter U+00FE.
  • HTML: þ or þ
  • Excel / Google Sheets: =UNICHAR(254)

Examples

  • Þakka þér fyrir!
  • Þór, the Icelandic form of Thor
  • Old English: þæt
  • Þingvellir National Park

Good to know

Don’t mix it up: It resembles the Old English letter wynn ƿ (U+01BF), which stood for a w sound.

Tip: In transliterating Icelandic names into English, þ is normally written as th, so Þórunn becomes Thorunn.

Display: the character itself is always the same code point, but its shape comes from the font on the device showing it. If you see an empty box, the font lacks this glyph—the text is still correct.

Questions

What is the Unicode for þ?

It is U+00FE (LATIN SMALL LETTER THORN), decimal 254.

Is there a Windows Alt code for it?

Yes: Alt 0254 on the numeric keypad.

How do I type it on a Mac?

There is no built-in Option shortcut. Use the Character Viewer (Control + Command + Space) and search “latin small letter thorn”, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code?

Use the named entity þ or the numeric reference þ.