How to Type the Dagger Symbol (†) on Any Keyboard

The dagger symbol † — also called an obelisk or obelus — is a typographical mark with a long history in publishing, academic writing, and formal documents. Whether you need it for footnotes, religious texts, chess notation, or editorial work, this guide covers every way to type the dagger symbol on any device and platform.

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What Is the Dagger Symbol?

The dagger † is one of typography’s oldest marks, dating back to ancient manuscripts where it was used to flag passages for correction or deletion. Today it serves several distinct purposes depending on context:

• Footnotes & endnotes — Used as a second-level footnote marker, after the asterisk (*)
• Deceased persons — In genealogy, biographies, encyclopedias, and sports records, † placed before or after a name indicates the person has died (e.g., †1492 or Johann Sebastian Bach†)
• Religious texts — Represents the Christian cross in liturgical and devotional writing
• Chess notation — Indicates a check move in some European notation systems
• Pharmaceutical writing — Marks a specific type of reference or warning
• Biology & linguistics — Denotes an extinct species or a reconstructed/unattested word form

There are three main variants of the dagger symbol:

Symbol	Name	Unicode
†	Dagger	U+2020
‡	Double dagger (diesis)	U+2021
⸸	Turned dagger	U+2E38

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How to Type the Dagger Symbol on Windows

Method 1: Alt Code

The fastest keyboard-only method on Windows — make sure Num Lock is on, then:

• Hold Alt and type 0134 on the numpad → † (dagger)
• Hold Alt and type 0135 on the numpad → ‡ (double dagger)

Always include the leading zero. Alt + 134 without the zero may produce a different character depending on your system’s code page.

Method 2: Unicode Input (Microsoft Word)

1. Type the Unicode code point:
   • 2020 for †
   • 2021 for ‡
2. Immediately press Alt + X
3. Word converts it to the dagger symbol

Method 3: Copy and Paste

The most universal method — copy your preferred symbol directly from this page:

† ‡

Paste it into any app, browser, document, or text field.

Method 4: Character Map

1. Open Start and search “Character Map”
2. Search for “dagger” in the search box
3. Select † or ‡
4. Click Select, then Copy
5. Paste into your document

Method 5: Windows Emoji Panel

1. Press Windows key + . (period)
2. Go to the Symbols tab
3. Search for “dagger”
4. Click to insert

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How to Type the Dagger Symbol on Mac

Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest)

Mac has a direct built-in shortcut for the dagger symbol:

Option + T → †

This works in virtually every app on macOS with no setup required. It is one of the cleaner shortcuts in Mac’s Option key library.

For the double dagger:

Option + Shift + 7 → ‡

Method 2: Character Viewer

1. Press Control + Command + Space
2. Search for “dagger”
3. Double-click † or ‡ to insert it

Method 3: Unicode Hex Input

1. Enable Unicode Hex Input under System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources
2. Hold Option and type 2020 → †
3. Or type 2021 → ‡

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How to Type the Dagger Symbol on iPhone and Android

Mobile keyboards don’t include the dagger symbol in their default layouts, but there are a few reliable methods.

iPhone (iOS)

The fastest option is copy-paste — copy † from this page and paste it where needed. For frequent use, set up a text replacement shortcut:

1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement
2. Tap +
3. In Phrase, paste †
4. In Shortcut, type something like dag

Typing dag will now auto-suggest † as a replacement.

Android (Gboard)

1. Go to Settings > Dictionary > Personal Dictionary
2. Add † as a word with shortcut dag
3. Gboard will suggest † whenever you type dag

Alternatively, tap ?123 then =< to browse the extended symbols panel — some Android keyboards include † there.

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How to Type the Dagger Symbol in Microsoft Word

Word offers several dedicated methods beyond the standard Windows techniques.

Method 1: Alt + X (Fastest in Word)

Type 2020 then press Alt + X — Word instantly converts it to †. For the double dagger, type 2021 then Alt + X → ‡.

Method 2: Insert > Footnote (Automatic)

If you need the dagger as a footnote marker specifically, Word can insert it automatically:

1. Place your cursor where the footnote marker should appear
2. Go to References > Insert Footnote
3. In the footnote dialog, change the Number format from numerals to symbols
4. Word will cycle through *, †, ‡, §, ‖, ¶ automatically as you add footnotes

This is the cleanest approach for academic or publishing work where footnote sequence matters.

Method 3: AutoCorrect Setup

1. Go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options
2. In Replace, type something like (dag)
3. In With, paste †
4. Click Add, then OK

Now typing (dag) anywhere in Word auto-produces †.

Method 4: Insert > Symbol

1. Go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols
2. Set the font to Normal text and subset to General Punctuation
3. Locate † (or search by character code 2020)
4. Click Insert

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How to Type the Dagger Symbol in Google Docs

Method 1: Insert > Special Characters

1. Go to Insert > Special Characters
2. Search for “dagger”
3. Click † or ‡ to insert

Method 2: Copy and Paste

Copy † from this article and paste directly into your Google Doc — no additional steps needed.

Method 3: Substitutions

1. Go to Tools > Preferences > Substitutions
2. In Replace, type (dag)
3. In With, paste †
4. Click OK

Google Docs will auto-replace (dag) with † as you type.

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Dagger Symbol in HTML and CSS

For web developers and publishers, here are all the correct ways to render the dagger in code:

Method	Code	Result
HTML named entity	†	†
HTML numeric (hex)	†	†
HTML numeric (decimal)	†	†
Double dagger named entity	‡	‡
Double dagger numeric (hex)	‡	‡
Double dagger numeric (decimal)	‡	‡
CSS content property	content: "\2020";	†
Direct UTF-8	paste † directly	†

CSS footnote marker example:

css

.footnote-ref::after {
  content: "\2020";
  font-size: 0.75em;
  vertical-align: super;
  margin-left: 1px;
}

Best practice: Use † for readability in HTML source code. If your file is UTF-8 encoded (include <meta charset="UTF-8"> in <head>), you can also paste † directly into your markup without an entity.

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The Dagger as a Footnote Marker: Traditional Order

In traditional publishing and academic typography, footnote symbols follow a specific sequence when multiple footnotes appear on the same page. The standard order is:

Order	Symbol	Name
1st	*	Asterisk
2nd	†	Dagger
3rd	‡	Double dagger
4th	§	Section sign
5th	‖	Double vertical line
6th	¶	Pilcrow (paragraph mark)

If a page requires more than six footnotes, the sequence repeats doubled: **, ††, ‡‡, and so on. This system is still used in medical journals, legal publications, financial disclosures, and formal print publishing.

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Dagger vs. Cross vs. Plus Sign: What’s the Difference?

The dagger is sometimes confused with visually similar symbols. Here’s how they differ:

Symbol	Name	Unicode	Purpose
†	Dagger	U+2020	Footnotes, deceased, chess
‡	Double dagger	U+2021	Third-level footnote marker
+	Plus sign	U+002B	Mathematics
✝	Latin cross	U+271D	Religious symbol
✞	Heavy Latin cross	U+271E	Decorative/religious
×	Multiplication sign	U+00D7	Mathematics

While † and ✝ look similar, they are distinct Unicode characters with different intended uses — † is a typographic mark, while ✝ is a religious symbol.

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Related Typographic Symbols

If you’re working with the dagger in a publishing or editorial context, these related marks are worth knowing:

Symbol	Name	Unicode	Mac Shortcut	Windows Alt Code
†	Dagger	U+2020	Option + T	Alt + 0134
‡	Double dagger	U+2021	Option + Shift + 7	Alt + 0135
*	Asterisk	U+002A	Shift + 8	Shift + 8
§	Section sign	U+00A7	Option + 6	Alt + 0167
¶	Pilcrow	U+00B6	Option + 7	Alt + 0182
©	Copyright	U+00A9	Option + G	Alt + 0169
®	Registered trademark	U+00AE	Option + R	Alt + 0174
™	Trademark	U+2122	Option + 2	Alt + 0153

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Quick Reference: Dagger Symbol Cheat Sheet

	†	‡
Name	Dagger	Double dagger
Unicode	U+2020	U+2021
HTML entity	†	‡
HTML numeric	†	‡
Windows Alt code	Alt + 0134	Alt + 0135
Word (Alt+X)	Type 2020 + Alt+X	Type 2021 + Alt+X
Mac shortcut	Option + T	Option + Shift + 7
Mobile	Copy/paste or text replacement	Copy/paste or text replacement
CSS escape	\2020	\2021

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Final Thoughts

The dagger is a niche but important typographic character — once you know where it lives, it’s surprisingly easy to access. Mac users have the cleanest experience with Option + T working instantly across every app. Windows users can rely on Alt + 0134 with the numpad or the Alt + X method in Word. For footnote work specifically, Word’s built-in footnote system will insert and sequence daggers automatically — no manual input required. Developers should use † for clean, readable HTML. And across every platform, a quick copy-paste of † from this page will always get the job done in a pinch.