# Guide to icons?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guide-to-icons/944464>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 17, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guide-to-icons/944464 "2021-06-17T14:01:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guide-to-icons/944464/1 "2021-06-17T14:01:30Z")

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I don’t speak icon.

When I’m told “go to the XXXXX icon” I’m often confused. What does the XXXX icon look like?

“Well, it’s a kinda squiggly thingie, sort of a circle with a fish swimming in it, smoking a cigar, sort of.”

For a serious example, yesterday I tried to scan a form on my printer and was told to find the scan icon. None of the icons I saw screamed out “scan” to me. is there a universal “scan” icon I’m unaware of?

More generally, is there a guide to icons so I could just look these up in the future?

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**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guide-to-icons/944464/2 "2021-06-17T14:17:18Z")

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Icon symbology is pretty inconsistent, although there are a few widely agreed ones. I wouldn’t get my hopes up that an icon for an obscure operation or a specific application would conform to any guide. Especially if the developer is of the “screw standards, ain’t nobody got time for standards” mindset.

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**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guide-to-icons/944464/3 "2021-06-17T14:18:23Z")

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Curiously, this list doesn’t include a “scan” icon, other than a QR code, but this page might help:

> **[What Are the Most Common Symbols Used By Computers?](https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001801.htm)**
>
> A listing of over 100 symbols used with computers and found on computer hardware and other electronics with a description of all their meanings.

A “scan” icon will typically just look like the top of a scanner or copier, like this:  
[https://maxcdn.icons8.com/Share/icon/ios7/Computer\_Hardware/scanner1600.png](https://maxcdn.icons8.com/Share/icon/ios7/Computer_Hardware/scanner1600.png)  
Or, it may be more abstract, like this:  
[![](https://cdn.onlinewebfonts.com/svg/img_310565.png) ](https://cdn.onlinewebfonts.com/svg/img_310565.png)