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Soft hyphen — HTML code and how to type it

The soft hyphen is ­ in HTML and U+00AD in Unicode. Copy any form below, or type it with Alt + 0173 on Windows.

Updated

Character(invisible)
HTML named entity­
HTML decimal­
HTML hex­
UnicodeU+00AD
CSS content"\00AD"
JavaScript"\u00AD"
URL encoded%C2%AD
UTF-8 bytesC2 AD

When to use it

An invisible hyphen that only appears if the browser breaks the word there — useful for very long words in narrow columns.

In HTML, CSS and JavaScript

<p>&shy;</p>           <!-- or the character itself in a UTF-8 page -->

.note::before { content: "\00AD"; }

const s = "\u00AD";

In a page saved as UTF-8 (the default today) you can paste the character directly; the entity is only needed when it must survive a non-UTF-8 system. Encode or decode whole texts with the HTML Entity Encoder.

How to type soft hyphen

  • Windows: hold Alt and type 0173 on the numeric keypad.
  • Mac: press Ctrl + Cmd + Space and search for “soft hyphen”.
  • Linux: Ctrl + Shift + U, then AD and Enter.
HTML Entity EncoderEscape < > & " so text is safe to show in HTML, convert accents and symbols to named or numeric entities, or decode entity-filled HTML back to plain text.
Open the tool

Frequently asked questions

What is the HTML code for the soft hyphen?
&shy; (named), &#173; (decimal) or &#xAD; (hex). All three produce the same character.
What is the Unicode for the soft hyphen?
U+00AD. In CSS write "\00AD" and in JavaScript "\u00AD".
How do I type the soft hyphen on a keyboard?
On Windows hold Alt and type 0173 on the numpad. On a Mac use Ctrl + Cmd + Space and search for it.