Identical arrows, and one short bar underneath carries the entire difference in behaviour.
Look underneath the arrow. No bar is shift, which applies only while you hold it. A bar is caps lock, which latches until you press it again. That single stroke is the difference between a momentary modifier and a latching one, and it is easy to miss at the size these are printed on a key.
The two differ only by the bar beneath the arrow: shift applies while held, caps lock latches until pressed again.
| Shift key symbol | Caps lock symbol | |
|---|---|---|
| Bar beneath the arrow | Absent | Present |
| Behaviour | Applies while held | Latches until pressed again |
| Unicode | U+21E7 | U+21EA |
| Affects numbers and punctuation | Yes | Usually not — letters only |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Caps lock symbol — The two differ only by the bar beneath the arrow: shift applies while held, caps lock latches until pressed again. | Commonly confused with Shift key symbol — The two differ only by the bar beneath: shift is momentary, caps lock latches. |
Unicode Code Chart: Arrows (U+2190–U+21FF)
The Unicode Consortium · retrieved 2026-07-31
Authoritative for the character's code point, name and block only. Unicode assigns identity; it does not define what a symbol means in use.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for widely-agreed identity and origin summary, 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.
The shift key is an outlined arrow with a stem and a broad head. The control key is a bare chevron with no stem at all — two strokes meeting at a point. Both point upward and both are modifiers, which is the whole of the resemblance; they do entirely different things and appear in different positions in printed shortcuts.
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.