You stare at them every single day. They sit there, tucked between the letters and the number pad, gathering dust or getting clicked thousands of times an hour. But honestly, if someone asked you to name the computer keyboard symbols and names without looking, you’d probably stumble after the dollar sign. It’s weird, right? We use these tools to build empires, write novels, and argue with strangers on Reddit, yet the actual terminology for a simple # or ~ remains a mystery to most.
Most people call the # a "hashtag." It’s not. Well, it is now, but that’s like calling a car a "transportation pod." It has a history. It has a real name. And understanding these tiny glyphs actually makes you a better communicator, especially if you’re diving into coding or technical writing where a misplaced "bracket" instead of a "brace" can break an entire server.
The Identity Crisis of the Hash and the Octothorpe
Let’s talk about that # symbol. If you grew up in the 80s, it was the pound sign. If you’re a Gen Z creator, it’s a hashtag. If you’re a musician, it’s a sharp—though technically, a musical sharp $\sharp$ is slightly different than the keyboard hash #. But if you want to sound like an absolute wizard, you call it an octothorpe.
Bell Labs engineers apparently coined that term in the 1960s. Why? Because it has eight points (octo). The "thorpe" part is debated, but some say it was named after athlete Jim Thorpe. It’s a bit of a legendary tech myth. In the world of computer keyboard symbols and names, the octothorpe is the king of rebranding. It went from a weight measurement symbol to a telephone function to the literal backbone of social media indexing.
The Squiggly Bit and the Vertical Bar
Then there’s the ~. You know, the little wavy line next to the number 1. That’s a tilde. In Spanish, it lives atop the 'n' to change the sound. In Linux and Unix environments, it represents the home directory. It’s a shortcut for "about" or "approximately" in casual texting, but in the early days of computing, it was a vital piece of syntax for command lines.
Right below it (usually) is the `. That’s a backtick or a grave accent. Don't confuse it with the apostrophe '. They look similar, but in Markdown or Javascript, the backtick is a heavy hitter used for template literals.
Ever notice the straight vertical line |? It usually shares a key with the backslash . That’s the pipe. It sounds aggressive, but its job is actually quite helpful. In programming, it "pipes" the output of one command into another. It’s the digital equivalent of a plumbing joint. If you aren't a coder, you likely only use it as a stylish separator in your Instagram bio or on a resume.
Brackets, Braces, and Parentheses: Stop Swapping Them
This is where people get messy. We tend to use the word "bracket" as a catch-all, but that’s just lazy. If you want to master computer keyboard symbols and names, you have to be specific.
- Parentheses ( ): These are the "curved" ones. In the UK, they’re often called "round brackets."
- Square Brackets [ ]: These are just "brackets" to most Americans. Essential for arrays in Python or citing sources in a term paper.
- Curly Braces { }: Also called "squiggly brackets." These are the architects of code blocks. If you forget to close one in C++, your program is dead on arrival.
- Angle Brackets < >: These are the "less than" and "greater than" signs. In HTML, they are the bread and butter of every tag you see on the web.
Using the wrong name when talking to a developer is a surefire way to lose "tech-cred." It’s like calling a screwdriver a "metal twisty thing."
The Mystery of the Ampersand and the Asterisk
The & symbol is beautiful. It’s a ligature—a combination of letters. Specifically, it comes from the Latin word "et," meaning "and." If you look closely at certain fonts, you can still see the 'E' and the 't' joined together in a fancy dance. We call it an ampersand. Fun fact: it used to be the 27th letter of the alphabet. Schoolchildren would recite the ABCs and end with "and per se and," which eventually slurred into "ampersand."
Then we have the *. Most call it a star. It’s actually an asterisk, derived from the Greek asteriskos, meaning "little star." In the realm of computer keyboard symbols and names, the asterisk is the universal "wildcard." It stands in for anything. It’s also the symbol for multiplication in almost every calculator app or spreadsheet on the planet.
The Caret and the Degree of Confusion
Look at the 6 key. That little hat ^ is a caret. It’s not a "pointing up thing." In proofreading, it shows where something needs to be inserted. In math, it’s often used for exponents (like 10^2). It’s tiny, it’s sharp, and it’s frequently ignored until you need to calculate compound interest in Excel.
Speaking of Excel, let’s talk about the @. Everyone knows it as the "at sign." But before email made it famous, it was an accounting symbol meaning "at the rate of." It’s one of the few symbols that actually survived the transition from ledger books to the digital age without changing its core meaning, though it did pick up a side gig as a way to "mention" your friends in memes.
Slashes: Forward vs. Backward
If there is one thing that kills me, it’s the confusion between / and .
The forward slash / leans forward. It’s the one used for web URLs (https://) and division. Think of it as a person leaning into the future.
The backslash \ leans backward. It is almost exclusively used in Windows file paths (C:\Users\Name). If you tell someone to go to "backslash backslash google dot com," you are technically telling them to go nowhere. Forward slashes are for the web; backslashes are for your hard drive.
The Actionable Guide to Keyboard Mastery
Knowing the names is one thing, but using them effectively is another. Here is how you can actually apply this knowledge to be more productive.
1. Learn the Alt Codes
Many symbols don't live on your keyboard. If you need the degree symbol (°), you aren't going to find it by staring at your keys. On Windows, holding Alt and typing 0176 on the numpad drops it right in. For a Mac, it’s Option+Shift+8. Mastering these hidden computer keyboard symbols and names saves you from the "copy-paste from Google" loop of shame.
2. Use the "Pipe" for Organization
Start using the pipe | in your filenames or email subject lines. It creates a much cleaner visual break than a hyphen or a comma.
Example: Project Alpha | Q3 Report | Final Version
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3. Keyboard Shortcuts for Symbols
Stop using your mouse to find the "Insert Symbol" menu in Word.
- Windows Key + Period (.): This opens the emoji and symbol picker. It’s a lifesaver for finding em-dashes (—) or mathematical symbols ($
eq$, $\pm$) instantly. - Option + G (Mac): Instant © symbol.
4. Respect the Em-Dash
There is a difference between a hyphen -, an en-dash –, and an em-dash —. A hyphen joins words (long-term). An en-dash represents ranges (1995–2005). An em-dash—like this—is for a break in thought. Most keyboards only have the hyphen. To get the em-dash, it’s usually Alt+0151 or Option+Shift+Hyphen. It makes your writing look 10x more professional.
Understanding computer keyboard symbols and names isn't just about trivia. It’s about precision. When you stop calling everything a "mark" or a "dot" and start using words like "tilde," "asterisk," and "pipe," you're speaking the language of the machines we spend our lives on. Next time you're explaining a password to someone over the phone, don't say "the squiggly line." Say "tilde." You'll sound like you know exactly what you're doing, even if you're just trying to reset your Netflix login.