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Two scoresheet marks for a cleared frame, scoring differently.
A cross means all ten pins fell to the first ball; a forward slash means it took two. The cross carries two deliveries of bonus and the slash only one, which is why three strikes are needed for a frame to reach thirty.
The cross means all ten went down with one ball; the forward slash means it took two. They score differently: a strike carries two deliveries of bonus, a spare only one.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Strike mark (X) | Spare mark (/) |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | crosses | lines and dots |
| Lines | 2 | 1 |
| Symmetry | point | none |
| Orientation | upright | rotated |
| Strike mark (X) | Spare mark (/) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mark | X | / |
| Balls used | One | Two |
| Bonus | The next two deliveries | The next delivery only |
| Maximum frame score | 30 | 20 |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Spare mark (/) — The cross means all ten went down with one ball; the forward slash means it took two. They score differently: a strike carries two deliveries of bonus, a spare only one. | Commonly confused with Strike mark (X) — One ball or two: the cross is a strike, the slash a spare. |
International Bowling Federation · retrieved 2026-08-02
The world governing body's playing rules, which define how a strike and a spare score. The scoresheet marks themselves are long-standing convention rather than a mandated typography, and the records say so.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-02
Tertiary reference. Cited for how a mark is written and read in ordinary practice, and for conventions no governing body issues. Never cited for a claim that a rule says something — the rulebooks below carry those.
Both arms sweeping forward means play continues and no kick is coming. One arm straight up means a kick is coming and cannot score directly. Confusing them changes whether players expect a stoppage.
The plain black flag excludes the competitor: their race is over. The black flag with an orange disc reports a mechanical problem that endangers others and sends the driver to the pits to have it fixed, after which they may rejoin. Both are shown with a number board, both are black, and confusing them costs a competitor a race they could have finished.
The exclamation mark praises a move, the question mark criticises it. Neither is defined by FIDE: unlike the rest of chess notation these are publishing convention, and two annotators may disagree about the same move.
Doubling intensifies whichever mark is doubled: !! is the highest praise available and ?? the harshest criticism. Read one for the other and you have inverted the annotator's verdict completely.