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Dagger -

Also known as an “obelisk,” a dagger or double dagger († or ‡) is used to indicate a footnote and is a substitute for the asterisk.

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ElRey mark -

This punctuation mark was invented by a photographer named Ellen Susan, who felt that there wasn’t an existing mark that was able to satisfactorily convey the middle-ground between an exclamation point (too exciting) and a period (too dry). This was her solution.

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Solidus -

Be warned: this is not a slash! The solidus, also called a shilling mark, is at a much steeper angle than the slash and is used primarily for fractions.

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Asterism -

In astronomy, an asterism is a group of stars. But in the realm of punctuation, it is three asterisks placed in a triangle. Originally, it was meant to show an intentional break in a body of text, but its use has since been replaced by the dinkus, which is simply three asterisks placed in a horizontal row.

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Because point -

The because sign is used exactly the way it was named: as a shorthand replacement for the word “because.” It features three dots placed in an inverted triangle formation, and it is most often used in mathematics. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use it!

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Doubt point -

The doubt point is a punctuation mark that was proposed by a French writer named Hervé Bazin (1911–1996). Basically, the doubt point is meant to convey skepticism in written work.

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Certitude point -

If you ever feel like you need to say something with unwavering conviction, then this is the punctuation mark for you. The certitude point is another mark created by Bazin, and it is simply an exclamation point with a line through it.

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Lozenge -

Do not confuse this mark with the drops that soothe your throat, although they do have a correlating history (lozenges were originally diamond-shaped). If you use this punctuation mark in a text, it should be used as a bullet point.

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Tironian et -

This is an ancient symbol that was used to represent the Latin word et, meaning “and.”

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Interrobang -

This is the more commonly known punctuation mark that people think is strange. The interrobang combines a question mark and an exclamation mark so that writers can easily express excitement when asking a question. Although putting both marks next to each other is a bit easier.

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Hedera -

In Latin, the word hedera means “ivy,” and we’re confident you can see why it is called this. The hedera punctuation was originally meant to divide paragraphs in written documents, but it quickly fell out of favor because it was so time-consuming and difficult to write.

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Pilcrow -

Another moderately common punctuation mark is the pilcrow. Just like the hedera, it is used to divide paragraphs in text, although some medieval texts used it to divide sentences.

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Caret -

The word caret is Latin for “it lacks.” Just like the name suggests, the caret is used to indicate something that’s missing from the original text, although this punctuation has pretty much fallen into disuse.

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Percontation point -

The percontation point is one of many irony marks in the English language. It was proposed by Henry Denham, an English printer from the 1580s, as a way of indicating rhetorical questions.

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Authority point -

If a writer uses this punctuation mark, they are indicating that they have the expertise and authority to substantiate what they have written. What they wrote should probably be taken seriously.

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Sheffer stroke -

This punctuation mark is named after Henry M. Sheffer, an American logician, and is mainly used in Boolean data and calculus. Beyond this, it isn’t really common in conventional writing.

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Exclamation comma -

Instead of the period that you would normally find at the bottom of an exclamation point, this punctuation mark uses a comma. That’s because some writers want to express excitement without ending a sentence.

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Question comma -

Just like the exclamation comma, the question comma has the same purpose. If you want to ask someone a question but don’t want to finish your sentence just yet, then this punctuation mark is ideal.

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Section sign -

You’ve probably seen this punctuation mark already, especially if you have a habit of signing legal documents. The section sign is also known as a “silcrow,” and it is used to indicate section breaks in text.

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Swung dash -

The swung dash almost looks like a tilde, although slightly flatter. It is used to indicate the repetition of a word or part of a word that has already been mentioned.

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Reference mark -

The reference mark has the same purpose as the dagger or double dagger; it's used to indicate additional information in a footnote or endnote.

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Tie punctuation -

The average person won’t have many opportunities to use this symbol, but it exists nonetheless. The tie is used in Greek, phonetic alphabets, and Z notation–a language used for computing systems.

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Sarcasm mark -

The sarcasm mark (also called “SarcMark”) is another irony punctuation mark that is the trademarked creation of a man named Douglas Sak. Just like the name suggests, the mark is supposed to convey sarcasm.

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Manicule -

Believe it or not, this is actually a punctuation mark that can most often be found in older texts. Although there are many such symbols with various names, the most common is the index pointer, which is used to highlight important information in text.

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Guillemets -

Guillemets are very rarely used in English writing, but are very important in other languages, such as French. Their purpose is to be quotation marks, and they can be written in singles or doubles.

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Love point -

Just like you might think, the love point is a way of expressing amorous subtext, although more contemporary writing has replaced it with the face emoji that has enlarged heart-shaped eyes.

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Acclamation point -

This is another symbol created by Bazin, and it’s basically two exclamation marks put together. It should be used to demonstrate goodwill or welcome.

Sources: (Grammarly) (Edit-it.org) (BuzzFeed) (Proofed)

See also: Surprising things you didn’t know about braille

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