Copy … from the copy panel above when a document needs the single ellipsis character. In Word, type 2026 and press Alt and X. On a Mac, open Character Viewer. In HTML, write ….
Three typed periods look almost the same at reading size, but they are three characters rather than one.
Identify the horizontal ellipsis
Unicode names … HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS at U+2026 in the General Punctuation block, adds the alias three dot leader, and records an approximate mapping to 002E 002E 002E, three full stops. The mapping relates the forms without merging them.
Lookalikes sit nearby. U+2024 is ONE DOT LEADER, U+2025 is TWO DOT LEADER, U+22EE is VERTICAL ELLIPSIS, and a typed period is U+002E FULL STOP. Read the value in a character inspector when exact text matters.
Two related punctuation guides cover the em dash, which often appears alongside the ellipsis in edited text, and the bullet point for list markers.
Choose one character or three periods
The Unicode line breaking algorithm puts U+2026 in class IN, the inseparable class, and never breaks a line between two characters of that class. U+002E is class IS, the infix numeric separator class, so three full stops can wrap differently.
Style guides differ on the form and its spacing, and some workflows keep three periods so that plain text tools stay predictable. Follow the guide the document uses and insert the character explicitly.
Insert … in Word with a character code
Type 2026 where the mark belongs, then press Alt and X to convert the code into …. Microsoft documents this conversion for symbols whose from field reads Unicode (hex) and reserves the numeric keypad for values listed as Symbol (decimal). Alt and X is a Word feature rather than a Windows wide shortcut.
Insert … from the Word Symbol dialog
Go to Insert, Symbol, and More Symbols to browse characters and read their codes. Microsoft documents the Character code box as the value you enter to insert a symbol from the keyboard, and the from list as the field that reports Unicode (hex) or Symbol (decimal). Enter 2026 with the from list on Unicode (hex). Word for Mac uses Insert and Advanced Symbol, with a Symbols tab and a Special Characters tab.
Check Word AutoCorrect before typing three periods
Word can replace text as you type, so a file does not always store the characters you pressed. In Word for Windows, go to File, Options, Proofing, and select AutoCorrect Options. In Word for Mac, open the Word menu, select Preferences, then AutoCorrect. The AutoCorrect tab holds the replacement list and the Replace text as you type checkbox, which is where you confirm what a run of periods becomes.
Type … with the Windows numeric keypad
Legacy Windows input accepts an Alt code. Hold Alt, type 0133 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Microsoft explains that the leading zero sends the lookup to the ANSI code page rather than the OEM set, and the Unicode table for code page 1252 lists byte 0x85 as U+2026. The number row cannot stand in for the keypad.
Insert … with Mac Character Viewer
Apple documents opening Character Viewer with Fn or the Globe key and E, or by choosing Edit and then Emoji & Symbols. Enter a word or phrase in the search field, then click the character to add it to your text, or double click it when the viewer is expanded. The panel ignores the active keyboard layout.
Use the ellipsis in HTML
A page served as UTF-8 can hold … directly. HTML also defines the named references … and …, with … in decimal and … in hexadecimal. Every reference ends in a semicolon, and a hexadecimal one takes an x after the number sign.
Fix the wrong output
- 1.Confirm the stored value is U+2026 rather than U+2024, U+2025, or three separate U+002E full stops.
- 2.Enter
0133on the numeric keypad, since the number row does not substitute for it. - 3.Press Alt and X immediately after
2026in Word, and select the code first when other characters sit beside it. - 4.Open the AutoCorrect list when a run of periods changes on its own.
- 5.Use the Symbol dialog or Character Viewer when an application claims the shortcut you tried.
- 6.Switch to a font that contains U+2026 when the character shows as an empty box.
Common questions
Is … the same as three periods?
No. … is the single character U+2026, and three typed periods are three instances of U+002E. Unicode records an approximate mapping between them, and line breaking assigns them different classes.
Can a line break fall inside an ellipsis?
A single U+2026 is one character, so nothing splits it. The algorithm places it in class IN and never breaks between two characters of that class, while three full stops fall under class IS.
Which HTML reference should I use?
Use …, …, …, or …. All four resolve to U+2026, and a UTF-8 document can carry the character itself.
Official references
- Unicode General Punctuation chart
- Unicode General Punctuation names list
- Unicode line breaking algorithm
- Microsoft guide to character codes in Word
- Microsoft guide to Advanced Symbol in Word for Mac
- Microsoft guide to AutoCorrect in Word
- Microsoft explanation of Alt and numeric keypad input
- Unicode mapping table for code page 1252
- Apple guide to Character Viewer
- HTML named character references
- HTML character reference syntax
