# The one symbol not on the QWERTY keyboard that ought to be **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** computer-hardware\ **Created:** [February 13, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496 "2024-02-13T00:26:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/101 "2024-02-14T01:01:32Z")
D’oh! I take it all back (I have unfortunately not gotten a chance to write C in a couple of years) ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/102 "2024-02-14T01:02:40Z")
I have buttons for that ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/103 "2024-02-14T02:16:20Z")
I agree. I hate typing metes and bound descriptions because I have to interrupt the flow of typing to hit ALT+0176 to get the °. I could have just typed “degrees” but I used the symbol the first few times back around 2000 and accidently set the standard that now curses me. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/104 "2024-02-14T06:41:51Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > ALT+0176 to get the ° I don’t envy you folks. Shift-Option-8 for us. °. Option-8 without the shift is a bullet •. Shift-8 is, of course, an asterisk \*. Easy to remember. ---
**Author:** ![ColdBrew50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@ColdBrew50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdBrew50)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/105 "2024-02-14T07:54:57Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > As a designer who uses InDesign, I’d like the Em dash and En dash. Why can’t I just use alt codes? I use both Mac and PC. I guess you could if you like remembering a bunch of random numbers, instead of useful numbers like your library card numbers, credit card numbers, or many digits of pi or _e_ or whatever. But here’s an em-dash: “—” and an en-dash “–” Done by using the “windows” key or whatever it’s called (useless to me for its original purpose, therefore reassigned) as a compose key/dead key and entering a few regular keystrokes without the 10-key numeric keypad. Yes, I’m using linux…Ubuntu whatever at the moment with xfce4…but I find it hard to believe there isn’t a simple way to remap any key you like in “Mac” or Winxx. Without some dodgy third-party “utility” program, that is. Or, maybe with. Should be a solved “problem,” but I’ve been wrong before. You certainly should be able to use the old-fashioned ridiculous way of hitting the Alt key and typing in whatever numeric string on your 10-key keypad…probably enough insufferable people who have burned enough brain cells using that horrific kludge survive that the “legacy” method persists. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/106 "2024-02-14T09:48:03Z")
The Mac laptop doesn’t have the keypad. I just use the insert special character function in InDesign. ---
**Author:** ![ColdBrew50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@ColdBrew50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdBrew50)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/107 "2024-02-14T10:13:51Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > I just use the insert special character function in InDesign. OK. Sounds like that works out fine for you. Pretty sure if you just want to use a few keystrokes that could be arranged pretty easily, but I don’t have the magic book of mac, not for a few decades anyway. And, to people who say they don’t like the “insert” key or the “PrtScr” or the “delete” key…well, pox on you! I use vim as well, when I want to write text, and am well aware that in the vi/vim environment those keys are useless. At least redundant, since there’s always an easier way to get 'er done within vi/vim. But I use those all the time when typing in browsers and such. Sure, I could make up some keystrokes to call up a screenshot program, for example, but why would I? The key’s right there! I even know where it is! Some of these suggestions are outlandish, though. The caret (“^”)? No, you need that! Without the anchor the boat founders. I don’t like the ampersand. What’s wrong with “&c” the way it was always meant to be? Oh…well, fine, then “etc.” All right, fine, I _do_ like the ampersand…but…well…just…it’s fine. Also not that fond of the tilde. It’s tolerable, but it’s easy enough to type ñ and such without that specific key. And if one wishes a negation operator, what’s wrong with Frege’s “¬”? And where’s my material conditional/“hook”? Now I’m getting upset…there’s just not much I like on the keyboard! It’s fine for Romance languages, German, English, generally. Terrible for Greek, Polish, and even the most bog-standard of logical notations. No, I don’t speak or know any Polish, but it’s pretty common to cite someone whose name uses some “unusual” diacritics (or whatever the term is). Maybe that Tweetmaster freakshow Evan Musk or whatever will figure out his brainlink starchild crap so we don’t have to use the keyboards. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2024, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/108 "2024-02-14T10:59:28Z")
I get the € with AltGr + E. But I do not have QWERTY, I have the German variant of QWERTZ, where I miss the Spanish ñ and Ñ and the French and Catalan ç, I must press at least four keys to get those. For more obscure symbols my place to go is the Typology Cheatsheet: > **[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. and then copy&paste. ---
**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 14, 2024, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/109 "2024-02-14T11:03:15Z")
👍 Cool ! I use the windows key a lot. Mainly on its own to get the start menu for running commonly used programs or with E to get explorer. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/110 "2024-02-14T12:49:06Z")
I assume it would be the same in Indesign, but on a Mac it’s just the logical (IMHO) option-hyphen for – (en dash) and shift-option-hyphen for —. No more alt codes for me, yay! ETA: Oh, cool. Opt-4 gets me ¢ and opt-6 get me §. Neither of which I ever use (I may have used the latter in my law assistant days), but good to know they are there. The Euro is there under opt-shift-2. I’d’ve put it under alt-4 or alt-shift-4, as that’s where the dollar sign is. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/111 "2024-02-14T15:03:00Z")
> [@ColdBrew50](#): > > And, to people who say they don’t like the “insert” key or the “PrtScr” or the “delete” key…well, pox on you! > But I use those all the time when typing in browsers and such. I mainly use that block of keys when navigating within Word. Delete removes text to the _right_ of the cursor instead of Backspacing to the left. Insert toggles insert/overwrite, which is occasionally helpful. > [@](#): > > Maybe that Tweetmaster freakshow Evan Musk or whatever will figure out his brainlink starchild crap so we don’t have to use the keyboards. The enshittification of everything digital already means everyone wants to know the contents of your underwear drawer; and you want them to be able to **require** access to your _ **brain** _?? ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/112 "2024-02-14T15:11:47Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > I have unfortunately not gotten a chance to write C in a couple of years I found I used pointers far more than arrays. Mind you I was working on low level systems stuff where we had to write our own memory allocators. Haven’t written much C myself recently, though I like to have a compiler handy to keep my hand in. I’m also a vi user… never went over to the emacs Dark Side… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/113 "2024-02-14T15:16:44Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Or ° so that writing about temperature would be easier. That would be the one I’d choose. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/114 "2024-02-14T16:36:54Z")
Me, too. I learned ALT+0176 a long time ago, but I type ° multiple times daily, calling out chamfers on drawings. i.e. 1/8 X 45° Also Ø and ± . (ALT+0216 and ALT+241 respectively) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/115 "2024-02-14T19:34:34Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > I learned ALT+0176 a long time ago I learned ALT+248 which inserts the same degree symbol. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/116 "2024-02-14T21:12:16Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > > [@Rebo](#): > > > > I learned ALT+0176 a long time ago > > I learned ALT+248 which inserts the same degree symbol I believe that has to do with the degree symbol being part of the original “upper ASCII” code of characters 129-255; with the 0176 being where it was assigned in the extended code. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/117 "2024-02-14T22:47:03Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Me, too. I learned ALT+0176 a long time ago, but I type ° multiple times daily, calling out chamfers on drawings. i.e. 1/8 X 45° > > Also Ø and ± . > > (ALT+0216 and ALT+241 respectively) Be glad you are not submitting those drawings to me 🙂 Ø is a letter in the Danish alphabet. So is ø. If you mean ⌀, type ⌀. ∅ is right out. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/118 "2024-02-14T22:50:59Z")
> [@ColdBrew50](#): > > a simple way to remap any key you like in “Mac” or Winxx en-dash: – (option-hyphen) em-dash: — (shift-option-hyphen) Why would you want to remap anything? Hard to get much easier than that! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/119 "2024-02-14T23:01:41Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Why would you want to remap anything? Hard to get much easier than that! Because on Windows you get, by default, different characters, so you may want to select a different layout (or just remap that one key). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496/120 "2024-02-14T23:06:59Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Ø is a letter in the Danish alphabet. So is ø. If you mean ⌀, type ⌀. ∅ is right out. øөᴓɸøөᴓɸøөᴓɸ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-one-symbol-not-on-the-qwerty-keyboard-that-ought-to-be/997496.md?page=7)