# Latest observed knowledge cultural gap: the pound key **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517 "2008-02-28T16:20:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/21 "2008-02-28T17:52:52Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Not least because ‘pound key’ for us sounds like you mean shift+3 on a UK-layout keyboard, producing ‘£’ 🙂 [/QUOTE] And on a US keyboard, shift+3 is “#”, so we have to resort to more desperate measures to produce “£”. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/22 "2008-02-28T18:00:54Z")
[QUOTE=Lunar Saltlick] Pound key actually seems to be used more and more often, contrary to what I think the OP is suggesting… [/QUOTE] No, I was saying that “pound key” is IMHO the standard name for the key and I’m always surprised when people don’t recognize that key as the “pound key.” ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/23 "2008-02-28T18:21:21Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] And on a US keyboard, shift+3 is “#”, so we have to resort to more desperate measures to produce “£”. [/QUOTE] And to rub salt into this very minor wound, we don’t need shift to produce a hash symbol. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/24 "2008-02-28T18:29:23Z")
[QUOTE=Hampshire] What else would you call the # key besides the pound key? The \* key I usually hear refered to as the star key but I guess you could call it the asterisk key. [/QUOTE] The hash key. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/25 "2008-02-28T18:29:46Z")
There were a few years after we had a [rotary phone](http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/56/82/23288256.jpg) before we ever needed to touch the “pound key”. I vaguely thought it was there as a place holder or to provide symetry. I do distinctly recall a discussion about an automated phone call at a diner in the 80s. “And then it said ‘Press the pound key!’ What’s the pound key???” The answer was that it’s the one that looks like the side of [Archie’s](http://www.capitalcomics.com/otr/archie_tn.jpg) head. We had always called # “the number sign” before that. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/26 "2008-02-28T18:32:04Z")
The star key keeps showing something like this: ------\> \* no matter how hard I pound it ☹ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/27 "2008-02-28T18:33:25Z")
[QUOTE=Hampshire] What else would you call the # key besides the pound key? [/QUOTE] The sharp key? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/28 "2008-02-28T18:44:07Z")
Pound key is standard here, at least. That’s all I evver hear or say. Hash I’d understand. Number key would confuse me because phones generally have ten number keys, and that ain’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/29 "2008-02-28T18:50:02Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] The sharp key? [/QUOTE] No, no, no. A sharp sign has slanted horizontal strokes, and a pound (or hash or octothorpe) has slanted vertical strokes. Pound sign: # Sharp sign: ♯ ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/30 "2008-02-28T18:54:27Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] …slanted horizontal… …slanted vertical… [/QUOTE] My head is spinning trying to visualise these 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/31 "2008-02-28T19:29:18Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] No, no, no. A sharp sign has slanted horizontal strokes, and a pound (or hash or octothorpe) has slanted vertical strokes. Pound sign: # Sharp sign: ♯ [/QUOTE] So give your phone a ten degree counter-clockwise turn. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/32 "2008-02-28T20:17:32Z")
[QUOTE=susan] In medical settings, “#” is used for pounds (in the US, at least). As in, “Weight down 5#.” [/QUOTE] Right. THAT, I think, is where the knowledge gap lies. “Everyone” knows it’s called a “pound key”, but I think very few people know that “#” means “pound”, as in, 16 ounces. My mom used to separate and freeze ground beef with the date and “1#” written on it. These days, non-medical people know and use “lb.” instead. I don’t know what happened to change that. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/33 "2008-02-28T20:26:08Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] These days, non-medical people know and use “lb.” instead. I don’t know what happened to change that. [/QUOTE] British English has always used ‘lb’. ---
**Author:** ![Ferd\_Burfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Ferd\_Burfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferd_Burfel)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/34 "2008-02-29T00:13:46Z")
I used to call a vendor for support in my previous job and their voice mail system had a pleasant woman’s voice with a British accent that would direct me to enter the extension I wanted to dial, followed by the “hash” key. I’d call # the pound key, but if I were speaking to someone from the UK, I’d know what else I could call it. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/35 "2008-02-29T00:23:27Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] British English has always used ‘lb’. [/QUOTE] Yes indeed. British Telecom (I used to work for them) calls # the hash key. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/36 "2008-02-29T01:44:15Z")
I haven’t done a scientific study, but I’d say in Canada you’re more likely to hear someone say “Press the number sign”. I’m no kid, and I never saw anyone in Canada use “#” instead of “lb”. (Back in the old pre-metric days). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/37 "2008-02-29T01:45:14Z")
Hash key here in the UK\< obviously because ‘pound symbol’ means something else (currency) ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/38 "2008-02-29T02:14:45Z")
I’m familiar with pound key, but I’ve also heard number sign. In French the most common term is le carré (the square), but I’ve also heard le dièse (the sharp sign). My terminology references give pound and carré as the official terms. ---
**Author:** ![Bernard\_Marx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@Bernard\_Marx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bernard_Marx)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/39 "2008-02-29T05:32:54Z")
Never heard it called anything but the hash key here in Aus. I think I used to know that # was shorthand for pound but it’s certainly not in common use here. (We never need to use “pounds” since we have dollars and kilograms instead) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517/40 "2008-02-29T06:43:28Z")
A [previous example](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=452258&highlight=pound+refer) of a cultural clash regarding the hash/pound sign. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latest-observed-knowledge-cultural-gap-the-pound-key/439517.md?page=3)