# Musical Notation: How Do I Make Superscript, Flats and Sharps (symbols) In Discourse?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075>\
**Category:** Site Feedback\
**Created:** [January 30, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075 "2023-01-30T22:43:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 18\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/1 "2023-01-30T22:43:46Z")

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Title says it all. Is this possible in Discourse?

Example: E flat min 7 (e flat -7) or Eo7

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/2 "2023-01-30T22:47:10Z")

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Not the best answer by any means, but this might help a little:  
[https://emojipedia.org/search/?q=music+notes](https://emojipedia.org/search/?q=music+notes)

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/3 "2023-01-30T22:48:59Z")

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You can do superscripts using the \<sup\> and \</sup\> tags.

I don’t know specifically about the sharp and flat symbols, but I would imagine that they’re in Unicode somewhere, so if you do get them (possibly by copying and pasting from somewhere else), they should show up on any remotely modern web browser.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/4 "2023-01-30T22:51:15Z")

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OK, I searched them up under “emoji and symbols” on my computer (I think Windows uses the name “special characters”):

♯♭

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**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/5 "2023-01-30T22:53:38Z")

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I found the Unicode symbols for flats and sharps, but how do I type them into a post?

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/6 "2023-01-30T23:13:29Z")

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Using your operating system’s special characters window. Or copy and paste them from elsewhere. If there’s a quick and easy keyboard shortcut, I don’t know it.

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**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/7 "2023-01-30T23:34:40Z")

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Those are my go-to websites when in typographical need:

> **[Typography Cheatsheet—A Comprehensive Guide to Smart Quotes, Dashes &...](https://www.typewolf.com/cheatsheet)**
>
> Everything you need to know about setting proper typography—smart quotes, apostrophes, em dashes, en dashes, accented characters and more.

> **[Tastenkombination für Sonderzeichen | Tabelle aller Zeichen!](http://wintipps.com/tastenkombination-sonderzeichen/)**
>
> Sonderzeichen können wir per Tastenkombination einfügen, was wirklich praktisch ist. Hier finden Sie eine Liste aller Tastenkombinationen der Sonderzeichen.

For subscript, \<sub\> and \</sub\> work just as fine as \<sup\> and \</sup\> work for superscript.  
What I would like to know is how to make the letters in colours.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/8 "2023-01-30T23:48:22Z")

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There’s no direct way to put letters in color. You can do it indirectly through MathML, which approximates LaTeX, but that has a lot of side effects.

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**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/9 "2023-01-30T23:51:55Z")

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**F♯-7 ♭5**

**A-7 ♭9**

**B♭o7**

Okay, I think I’ve got it now.

I thought I had to somehow type the actual codes into a post.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/10 "2023-01-31T13:23:50Z")

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> [@Pardel-Lux](#):
>
> What I would like to know is how to make the letters in colours.

Alas, since we moved to Discourse, there is no more opportunity for @The_Grapist.

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**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/11 "2023-01-31T14:14:40Z")

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That is a pity! I would have like to write **rainbow** in seven colours, one for each letter. Childish, I know, but still.

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/12 "2023-01-31T17:48:18Z")

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\color{red}{\text {r}}\color{orange}{\text {a}}\color{yellow}{\text {i}}\color{green}{\text {n}}\color{blue}{\text {b}}\color{indigo}{\text {o}}\color{violet}{\text {w}}

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/13 "2023-01-31T17:51:28Z")

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Hmm… I thought you would be able to just quote that to see how to do it but quoting removes all of the color formatting.

This is how you do it:  
$\color{red}{\text {r}}\color{orange}{\text {a}}\color{yellow}{\text {i}}\color{green}{\text {n}}\color{blue}{\text {b}}\color{indigo}{\text {o}}\color{violet}{\text {w}}$

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/14 "2023-02-01T06:23:03Z")

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> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> This is how you do it:  
> \color{red}{\text {r}}\color{orange}{\text {a}}\color{yellow}{\text {i}}\color{green}{\text {n}}\color{blue}{\text {b}}\color{indigo}{\text {o}}\color{violet}{\text {w}}

It’s so simple!!!

😫

> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Or copy and paste them from elsewhere.

That’s what I do for any special symbol. I just look them up on a website, then copy and paste.

Like my old buddy the pilcrow!

¶

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**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/15 "2023-02-07T19:02:19Z")

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If you hit reply, then the “quote whole post” button, it includes the formatting codes.

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/16 "2023-02-07T19:17:51Z")

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I never noticed that. Thanks!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/17 "2023-02-07T19:23:05Z")

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Was there any resolution of the [LaTex](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latex-support-broken/978857/7) issue ? That would work for music notation also :  
`$\sharp$ $\flat$`  
\sharp \flat  
^those should be on the same line !

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-notation-how-do-i-make-superscript-flats-and-sharps-symbols-in-discourse/979075/18 "2023-02-07T19:28:32Z")

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I haven’t heard anything, and I didn’t see anything in the release notes that would obviously cause the difference. It might just be that the developers included a later version of MathJax in one of the recent updates.

\sharp \flat

$\sharp \flat$ works.