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Two surviving European marks for the word 'and', one of which looks like a numeral.
The ampersand is a ligature of the Latin word et, still visible in some italic forms where the e and the t can be picked out. The Tironian et is a separate mark descending from a Roman shorthand, shaped like a small seven, and it is in daily public use in Ireland as the written form of 'agus'. A reader who knows only the ampersand takes the other for a numeral, which on a bilingual road sign produces a confidently wrong place name.
Both stand for the word 'and'; one of them looks like a numeral.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Ampersand | Tironian et |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | abstract and letter like | letter like and number like |
| Ampersand | Tironian et | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | A ligature of the letters of the Latin et | A mark from the Tironian shorthand of Roman antiquity |
| Shape | A looped figure | A small seven with a flattened top |
| Where it is current | Everywhere Latin script is written | Irish signage, shop fronts and official documents |
| Commonest misreading | None | The numeral seven |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Tironian et — Both stand for the word 'and'; one of them looks like a numeral. | Commonly confused with Ampersand — Both stand for the word 'and' and one of them looks like a numeral. |
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-22
Tertiary reference, cited for the conventional description of a mark, its usual name and where it is encountered. Where an issuing body defines the mark, that body is cited alongside and governs.
Unicode Code Chart: General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F)
The Unicode Consortium · retrieved 2026-07-30
Authoritative for the character's code point, name and block only. Unicode assigns identity; it does not define what a symbol means in use.
Both are drawn as one continuous decorative stroke with a closed loop and a tail that crosses back over itself, which is why a description of the shape alone reaches both. The clef is far taller, spans a stave, and its spiral encircles one specific line — that encircled line is the note G, and it is the only reason the shape is drawn where it is.
As punctuation the asterisk points at a footnote or marks a required field. In a filename pattern typed at a shell it matches any run of characters, including none — and the shell expands it against real filenames before the command runs, so the command never sees the pattern at all. That expansion is the part people are surprised by.
A single C in a circle asserts copyright. Two C shapes mark a Creative Commons licence — which grants specific permissions while the creator keeps their copyright. A CC badge does not put a work in the public domain, and it does not tell you what you may do on its own: the condition marks beside it carry the terms.
© covers creative works and generally applies automatically on creation. ™ and ® both cover brand marks, but ™ asserts an unregistered claim anyone may use, while ® is legally restricted to marks actually registered with a trademark office — using ® without registration is unlawful in many jurisdictions.