# !? or ?! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2009, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273 "2009-08-13T12:21:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/1 "2009-08-13T12:21:19Z")
A punctuation blend used for an exclamatory question. Questionable surprise… or surprised questioning. Which comes first, the ! or the ? (?) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/2 "2009-08-13T12:29:27Z")
I was taught only the exclamation symbol is used. ---
**Author:** ![Elvis\_Chimney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/50afbb/32.png) [@Elvis\_Chimney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvis_Chimney)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/3 "2009-08-13T12:38:40Z")
You could always knock out a [‽](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrobang) ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/4 "2009-08-13T13:25:21Z")
I prefer ?! because it looks more visually balanced. !? looks like it’s about to tip over to the right. ---
**Author:** ![StinkyBurrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@StinkyBurrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StinkyBurrito)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/5 "2009-08-13T14:01:46Z")
I thought it was called an interrobang which would mean the interro (?) part first, and then the bang (!) part. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/6 "2009-08-13T14:04:27Z")
?! It’s a question asked with emphasis, not an exclamation that’s querried. You take the question “What?” and make it emphatic - “What?!” You don’t take the exclamation “What!” and make it a question - “What!?”, since no one would ever say the former. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/7 "2009-08-13T14:04:40Z")
I thought an interrobang was when you ask somebody questions during sex. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/8 "2009-08-13T14:09:22Z")
Who gives a shit?! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/9 "2009-08-13T14:12:51Z")
> [@StinkyBurrito](#): > > I thought it was called an interrobang which would mean the interro (?) part first, and then the bang (!) part. According to Wikipedia, an interrobang is when the two symbols are superimposed. So that doesn’t address their order when you type them separately. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/10 "2009-08-13T14:56:16Z")
?! That’s how I typeset them in the comics. (Probably the only place this combo should be used.) ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/11 "2009-08-13T16:42:35Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > ?! > > That’s how I typeset them in the comics. (Probably the only place this combo should be used.) In chess notation… ``` ??: Blunder ?: Mistake ``` \*\* ?!: Dubious move !?: Interesting move\*\* ``` !: Good move ‼: Brilliant move ``` I’d only use combined punctuation in casual writing, and then I’d use whichever seems to communicate my point better. ---
**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:** [August 13, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/12 "2009-08-13T20:24:25Z")
Where’s **Interrobang!?** when you need him? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/13 "2009-08-13T22:05:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I thought an interrobang was when you ask somebody questions during sex. I thought it was the natural conclusion of the relationship you developed with the person who was grilling you to find out what you did with the stolen plans. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/14 "2009-08-13T22:43:07Z")
I put the primary punctuation first, therefore giving the order meaning: **Rhetorical exclamation:** “For fuck’s sake, where you born in a barn!?” **Interrogative exclamation:** “Why the fuck did you just punch me in the nutsack?!” ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/15 "2009-08-14T00:20:29Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I put the primary punctuation first, therefore giving the order meaning: > > **Rhetorical exclamation:** > “For fuck’s sake, where you born in a barn!?” > > **Interrogative exclamation:** > “Why the fuck did you just punch me in the nutsack?!” Agree. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/16 "2009-08-14T00:48:51Z")
!? = :eek: ?! = :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/17 "2009-08-14T07:52:02Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > “For fuck’s sake, were you born in a barn!?” But “Were you born in a barn!” makes no sense from a punctuation viewpoint. It’s still an interrogative statement, as evidenced by the verb-first structure at the beginning. Therefore the question mark should come first: _For fuck’s sake, were you born in a barn?!_ I’m not saying there aren’t examples rhetorical exclamations where !? would be appropriate. This isn’t one of them and, unfortunately, I can’t think of any at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/18 "2009-08-14T08:24:30Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > But “Were you born in a barn!” makes no sense from a punctuation viewpoint. It’s still an interrogative statement, as evidenced by the verb-first structure at the beginning. Therefore the question mark should come first: > > _For fuck’s sake, were you born in a barn?!_ > > I’m not saying there aren’t examples rhetorical exclamations where !? would be appropriate. This isn’t one of them and, unfortunately, I can’t think of any at the moment. Yes, but I would respectfully submit that the exclamation, “For fuck’s sake!” would take precedence before the interrogation, “Were you born in a barn?” Therefore it seems to me that "For fuck’s sake, were you born in a barn!? would indeed be the correct way to write this sentence. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/19 "2009-08-14T09:14:47Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > You don’t take the exclamation “What!” and make it a question - “What!?”, since no one would ever say the former. “Never” is a very long time. I believe I have heard people say “What!” even if technically it’s grammatically\* incorrect. \*Is this grammar, or some other part of language? ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273/20 "2009-08-14T19:01:53Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Yes, but I would respectfully submit that the exclamation, “For fuck’s sake!” would take precedence before the interrogation, “Were you born in a barn?” Therefore it seems to me that "For fuck’s sake, were you born in a barn!? would indeed be the correct way to write this sentence. Man, am I glad I overdosed on Schoolhouse Rock a couple of weeks ago. The comma following “For fuck’s sake” replaces the exclamation point, diminishing the emotion of the outburst somewhat. It does not displace the exclamation point to the end of the whole sentence. For example, compare: _Hey! What are you doing? Hey, what are you doing?_ According to your logic, the comma should restructure the punctuation as follows: _Hey, what are you doing!_ which, IMO, does not correctly convey the intent or purpose of the exclamation. Therefore, since the exclamation point of “For fuck’s sake” has not moved, the interrogative nature of “Were you born in a barn” necessitates the use of the question mark, whereas the exclamation point provides merely an emphatic function and should follow, not precede. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/or/506273.md?page=2)