Five weird typographical symbols – Quick Quiz

By British Expat, 20 May 2014

There are all sorts of quirky typographical terms that used to be popular but don’t get much use these days – even if the mark itself does! Have a go at our quiz below and see how much you know about some of the rarer printer’s characters and their names.

1. We’ll start with an easy one. What’s this called? ¶
2. Here are two punctuation marks: / and  ⁄  One of these marks is a slash; the other is a solidus. Which is which, and what’s the difference?
3. This mark ☙ and others like it are called fleurons. Why should you be very cautious about how you use this particular one?
4. What does the symbol ⁊ stand for on the sign below? (Clue: it’s not the number 7.)
   
5. Where would you be most likely to see an obelus?

Check your answers here!