There are a few characters useful in technical writing that are not available on a standard keyboard. Word’s Insert->Special menu lets you add these to your document, but for the more common ones a faster way is to use the numeric keypad. Simply hold down the Alt key and type the four digit code from the table below. Note: you must type all four digits; don’t leave off the leading zero. This approach works in most Windows programs; not just Word.
| Description | Code | Appearance | Word Shortcut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellipsis | 0133 | … | Ctrl + Alt + period |
| n-dash | 0150 | – | Ctrl + minus on numeric keypad |
| m-dash | 0151 | — | Ctrl + Alt + minus on numeric keypad |
| Degree symbol | 0176 | ° | Ctrl + @, Space |
| Plus/minus sign | 0177 | ± | |
| Superscript 1 | 0185 | ¹ | |
| Superscript 2 | 0178 | ² | |
| Superscript 3 | 0179 | ³ | |
| Multiplication | 0215 | × | |
| Division | 0247 | ÷ | |
| Minus sign | - | 2212, Alt + X |
|
| Registered Trademark | 0174 | ® | Ctrl + Alt + R |
| Trademark | 0153 | ™ | Ctrl + Alt + T |
| Copyright | 0169 | © | Ctrl + Alt + C |
| Interrobang | 203D, Alt + X |
||
| Hamburger menu | 09776 | ☰ | |
| Bell | 128276 | ||
| Gear | 09881 | ⚙ | |
| Home | 127968 | ||
| Warning | 09888 | ⚠ | |
| Vertical ellipsis | 08942 | ⋮ | |
| Box | 09744 | ☐ |