U+00AF · Latin-1 Supplement
Macron ¯
The spacing macron is a short horizontal bar positioned high, shown on its own rather than over a letter. It is used to display the mark itself, for example in dictionaries, language lessons, and discussions of pronunciation, where a macron over a vowel indicates a long sound. It also appears in some older technical notations for an overline.
Character codes
| Unicode code point | U+00AF | |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal | 175 | |
| HTML named entity | ¯ | |
| HTML (hex) | ¯ | |
| HTML (decimal) | ¯ | |
| CSS | \00AF | |
| JavaScript | \u00AF | |
| Python | \u00AF | |
| UTF-8 bytes | C2 AF | |
| UTF-16 | 00AF | |
| URL-encoded | %C2%AF |
Character details
| Official name | MACRON |
|---|---|
| Unicode block | Latin-1 Supplement |
| General category | Modifier Symbol (Sk) |
| SymbolHero category | Punctuation |
| Decomposition | <compat> U+0020 U+0304 |
| Emoji | No |
How to type ¯
Windows
- Hold Alt and type 0175 on the numeric keypad (Num Lock on), then release Alt. Alt 0175 uses the Windows-1252 code page.
- In Microsoft Word or Outlook: type
00AFthen press Alt + X. - Open Character Map (search “Character Map” in Start), tick “Advanced view”, search for “macron”, then Select and Copy.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search “macron”, and double-click the result.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type
00AF.
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 “macron” or enter
U+00AF. - HTML:
¯or¯ - Excel / Google Sheets:
=UNICHAR(175)
Examples
- The macron (¯) marks long vowels in Latin
- Pronunciation key: ¯ = long vowel
- Keyboard legend showing ¯
Good to know
Don’t mix it up: Often confused with the combining macron (U+0304), which attaches to a letter, and with the overline ‾ (U+203E).
Tip: For words like Māori or Tōkyō, use the precomposed letters (ā, ō) rather than this standalone mark.
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.
Similar punctuation
Questions
What is the Unicode for ¯?
It is U+00AF (MACRON), decimal 175.
Is there a Windows Alt code for it?
Yes: Alt 0175 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 “macron”, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code?
Use the named entity ¯ or the numeric reference ¯.