Two controls that both save something for later, with no agreed division between them.
In principle the ribbon saves to a reading list and the star marks a favourite or contributes to a rating. In practice services use them interchangeably, so the same action carries a ribbon on one site and a star on the next. Users hesitate over which to press because there genuinely is no rule.
Both save something for later; the star usually means a rating or a favourite, the ribbon a reading list, but the two are used interchangeably in practice.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Bookmark ribbon symbol | Favourite star symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | objects | stars |
| Bookmark ribbon symbol | Favourite star symbol | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | A rectangle notched into a V | A five-pointed star |
| Nominal job | Save to a list to return to | Mark as favoured, or rate |
| Also used for rating | No | Yes, in a row of five |
| Consistent across services | No | No |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Favourite star symbol — Both save something for later; the star usually means a rating or a favourite, the ribbon a reading list, but the two are used interchangeably in practice. | Commonly confused with Bookmark ribbon symbol — Both save something for later, with no agreed division between them. |
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for widely-agreed identity, origin and current use, not for contested detail or exact dates.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for widely-agreed identity, origin and current use, not for contested detail or exact dates.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for widely-agreed identity, origin and current use, not for contested detail or exact dates.
Both register approval and usually add the item to a list. Several large services replaced a star or a thumbs-up with a heart on the reasoning that a heart is a lighter, less judgemental gesture — a change in what people are willing to press, not a change in what the shape means.
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.
Check where the dot sits. A dot immediately to the right of the notehead adds half the note's value again — a dotted half note lasts three beats. A dot directly above or below the head means staccato: play it short and detached. One dot, two opposite instructions, and only position distinguishes them.