Multiplication Sign (×) vs Letter X: Spot the Difference

Two symbols. One is a mathematical operator with a dedicated Unicode code point assigned specifically to represent multiplication. The other is the 24th letter of the Latin alphabet. They look almost identical in most fonts — yet they mean entirely different things, carry different Unicode properties, and should be used in completely different contexts.

The mix-up between × (the multiplication sign) and x (the letter) is among the most common mathematical typography errors on the web. Let's fix that.

The Characters, Compared

The multiplication sign × sits in the Latin-1 Supplement block (U+0080–U+00FF), where basic mathematical and typographic symbols were standardized early in Unicode's history. Letters x and X are in the Basic Latin block (U+0000–U+007F).

Visual Differences by Font

In most common body text fonts (Times New Roman, Georgia, Arial), the multiplication sign and letter x are visually nearly identical. The differences are subtle:

• The multiplication sign × tends to have slightly thicker strokes with more symmetry — it's drawn as a pure geometric symbol
• The lowercase letter x in serif fonts often has serifs at the stroke terminals and slightly asymmetric stroke weights from calligraphic origins
• At large display sizes or in math-specific fonts (like those used by LaTeX or MathJax), the distinction becomes clearer

At 12px body text size in a sans-serif font like Arial, the human eye typically cannot distinguish × from x. This is precisely why using the wrong character is so common — and why it matters that tooling and semantic markup signal the correct character.

Use our Character Analyzer to paste any character and confirm exactly which code point you're working with.

When to Use the Multiplication Sign (×)

Mathematical Equations

In any mathematical context where multiplication is the intended operation, use × (U+00D7):

<!-- Correct: multiplication sign -->
<p>3 &times; 4 = 12</p>
<p>The formula is: a &times; b = c</p>

<!-- Incorrect: letter x masquerading as multiplication -->
<p>3 x 4 = 12</p>

In formal mathematical markup, prefer MathML or a math rendering library like MathJax or KaTeX:

<!-- MathML -->
<math>
  <mrow>
    <mn>3</mn>
    <mo>&times;</mo>
    <mn>4</mn>
    <mo>=</mo>
    <mn>12</mn>
  </mrow>
</math>

<!-- KaTeX/LaTeX syntax (use \times, not x) -->
<!-- 3 \times 4 = 12 -->

Dimensions and Sizes

One of the most frequent real-world uses of × is expressing dimensions — image sizes, screen resolutions, room measurements, physical product sizes:

<!-- Image dimensions -->
<img src="photo.jpg" alt="Photo" width="1920" height="1080">
<figcaption>1920 &times; 1080 pixels</figcaption>

<!-- Product dimensions -->
<p>Dimensions: 120 &times; 80 &times; 45 mm</p>

<!-- Screen resolution -->
<p>Native resolution: 2560 &times; 1600</p>

This usage is common in e-commerce, photography, technical documentation, and product listings. Using the letter x here (1920 x 1080) is technically wrong typography, though it's so widespread that most readers don't notice.

Magnification and Scale Factors

Camera lenses, microscopes, telescope zoom levels, and image scale factors use × to indicate magnification:

<p>Zoom: 10&times; optical zoom</p>
<p>Magnification: 400&times;</p>

"Times" in Compound Expressions

When writing phrases like "5 times faster" in a context where you want the symbol rather than the word:

<p>This algorithm is 3&times; faster than the naive approach.</p>

When to Use the Letter X

Algebra and Variables

In algebra, x is a variable — a letter that stands for an unknown value. It is not a multiplication operator, it is a placeholder:

Solve for x: 2x + 5 = 11

Here, 2x means "2 multiplied by x" through juxtaposition convention — no explicit multiplication symbol is written. This is standard algebraic notation. The letter x (or any letter used as a variable) is correctly represented by the Latin letter, optionally italicized.

Abbreviations and Compound Words

• x-ray: Uses a literal letter x, not a multiplication sign
• x-axis / y-axis: Letter x, denoting a named axis
• extra (informal): "xtra", "xtreme" — letter x
• cross: "x" is sometimes used as shorthand for "cross" (crossfit → x-fit), again a letter

Generic Placeholder or Unknown

In UX design and wireframing, the letter X marks an unknown or placeholder:

Lorem ipsum x dolor sit amet
[Image: 300 × 200]    ← multiplication sign for dimensions
[User: xName]          ← letter x as placeholder prefix

The Ballot X and Other Close Relatives

Several other × -shaped characters have specific semantic purposes:

Ballot X and Checkmarks

<!-- For indicating "no" or "failed" in a list -->
&#10007; ✗  Ballot X (U+2717) — often used in comparison tables
&#10003; ✓  Check Mark (U+2713) — "yes/passed"
&#10008; ✘  Heavy Ballot X (U+2718)
&#10004; ✔  Heavy Check Mark (U+2714)

Using the actual ballot X character in comparison tables is typographically superior to using an ASCII x — it signals intent more clearly and is more accessible to screen readers that announce character names.

Close / Cancel Button

The × symbol on close buttons in UI design is commonly implemented in three ways:

<!-- HTML entity (semantic, accessible) -->
<button aria-label="Close">&times;</button>

<!-- Unicode character directly -->
<button aria-label="Close">×</button>

<!-- SVG (most control over visual appearance) -->
<button aria-label="Close">
  <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="16" height="16">
    <line x1="18" y1="6" x2="6" y2="18" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"/>
    <line x1="6" y1="6" x2="18" y2="18" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"/>
  </svg>
</button>

The × entity for a close button is technically a misuse of the multiplication sign semantically, but it's a near-universal UI convention. Using a proper SVG or the ✕ (U+2715 Multiplication X) is arguably more semantically correct for a close button, while the aria-label="Close" ensures accessibility regardless.

Cross Product vs Multiplication

In physics and vector mathematics, the cross product operator has its own dedicated code point:

⨯ (U+2A2F) — Vector or Cross Product
× (U+00D7) — General multiplication

In casual mathematical writing on the web, U+00D7 is typically used for both. For formal mathematical documents, use MathML or LaTeX where the rendering engine handles the distinction.

How to Type the Multiplication Sign

Mac

Most Mac users type × in HTML or paste the character from the Character Viewer (Ctrl+Cmd+Space).

Windows

Linux

Ctrl + Shift + U → D7 → Enter

Or with a Compose key: Compose x x (varies by Compose table configuration).

HTML

&times;        <!-- Named entity (most readable) -->
&#215;         <!-- Decimal -->
&#xD7;         <!-- Hexadecimal -->
×              <!-- Literal character (UTF-8 HTML) -->

CSS

/* In CSS content property */
.dimension::after {
  content: " \00D7 ";  /* " × " with surrounding spaces */
}

/* Example: automatically format image dimension labels */
[data-width]::after {
  content: attr(data-width) " \00D7 " attr(data-height) " px";
}

SEO and Structured Data Considerations

In product structured data (Schema.org), dimensions are typically expressed as separate properties rather than formatted strings. But for human-readable descriptions and meta content, using the correct × character can marginally improve content quality signals.

{
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Canvas Print",
  "description": "24 × 36 inch archival canvas print",
  "width": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "value": 24,
    "unitCode": "INH"
  },
  "height": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "value": 36,
    "unitCode": "INH"
  }
}

Unicode Properties: Why It Matters for Text Processing

The multiplication sign has Unicode General Category Sm (Symbol, Math). The letter x has category Ll (Letter, Lowercase). This distinction affects:

• Regular expression character classes: \p{Sm} matches math symbols; \p{Ll} matches lowercase letters. Using the wrong character means regex-based math detection will fail.
• Text-to-speech: Screen readers and TTS engines announce symbols by their Unicode name. × is announced as "times" or "multiplication sign"; x is announced as the letter "x."
• Search indexing: Search engines may treat math operators differently from letters in certain query contexts.
• Spell checkers: 3 x 4 may trigger a spell-check warning in some editors (x is not a word in that context); 3 × 4 is correctly recognized as a math expression.

import unicodedata

unicodedata.category('×')   # 'Sm' — Symbol, Math
unicodedata.category('x')   # 'Ll' — Letter, Lowercase
unicodedata.name('×')       # 'MULTIPLICATION SIGN'
unicodedata.name('x')       # 'LATIN SMALL LETTER X'

Next in Series: Hyphen, en dash, em dash, minus sign, horizontal bar — five characters that all look like a horizontal line. See Minus vs Hyphen vs Dash.