HTML Entity Reference & Escape
A reference of 120+ named entities (filterable live, click to copy) plus batch escape/unescape of whole text blocks, with optional named-entity output for non-ASCII.
| NAME | ENTITY | CHAR | CATEGORY |
|---|
>_ USAGE GUIDE
When writing HTML, assembling rich text, or building email templates, some characters must be escaped and some entity spellings you can never remember. This tool covers both: the top half is batch escape/unescape for whole blocks — & < > and quotes are always escaped, results update live, and non-ASCII characters can optionally become named entities (© → ©); the bottom half is a reference table of 120+ common named entities — name / entity / character / category in four columns, filterable live, one click to copy either form.
- Escape in bulk: paste text and the escaped result appears instantly; send it to the unescape panel with one click
- Unescape in bulk: paste text containing
<or中— named, decimal, and hexadecimal numeric entities all resolve back - Look up entities: type
nbsp,arrow, orcopyabove the table to filter instantly - Copy with a click: both the character and the entity columns carry copy buttons
>_ FAQ
Q1 · How does this differ from the HTML entity encode/decode tool?
Clear division of labor: the html tool is a two-way encode/decode panel, ideal for debugging a single escaped snippet; this tool adds the 120+ entity reference table (lookup and SEO-friendly) plus whole-block batch processing, with optional named-entity output for non-ASCII. Both agree on the mandatory set (& < > " '), so they can substitute for each other semantically — pick per task, and they link to each other in the footer.
Q2 · Which characters must be escaped?
In HTML text content only three are mandatory: & → & (the introducer of every entity), < → <, and > → >. Quotes matter in attribute values (" → ", ' → '). This tool treats those five as mandatory and leaves everything else untouched unless you enable "non-ASCII to named entities".
Q3 · What are numeric entities like 中, and how do they compare to named ones?
A numeric entity is a code point written in decimal (中) or hexadecimal (中) — every character has one; named entities (©) are readable but only about 250 exist in the standard. The unescape panel accepts both. Practical guidance: prefer named entities in documents (they read well), prefer numeric entities in generated code (no table lookups, no misspelled names).
Q4 · Can I just type © directly instead of ©?
On a modern UTF-8 page, yes — raw characters are fine. Entities matter when the editor or transport chain has unpredictable encoding, when strict XML/SGML validation applies, or for email clients that mishandle bare special characters. Note that is semantically different: not "another way to write a space" but non-collapsible whitespace, which is a lexical distinction, not an encoding one.
Q5 · Does escaping run locally, and how complete is the table?
Escape/unescape and the table all run locally in your browser — zero uploads, works offline. The built-in table holds 120+ common named entities across seven categories (basic, quotes, punctuation, arrows, math, Greek, Latin extensions), covering everyday writing and development; the full HTML standard has about 250 named entities, and numeric entities cover everything else.