Symbol Showdown

An 8-part comparison series pitting confusable character pairs against each other — when to use which, and how to tell them apart.

1. 1

   En Dash vs Em Dash: When to Use – and —

   Learn the difference between en dash (–) and em dash (—) — usage rules, typing methods, HTML entities, and CSS implementation.

2. 2

   Curly Quotes vs Straight Quotes: Typography's Most Common Mix-Up

   Understand the difference between smart quotes (“ ”) and straight quotes (" ") — when to use each, code vs prose, and auto-conversion pitfalls.

3. 3

   Ellipsis (…) vs Three Dots (...): One Character or Three?

   Compare the Unicode ellipsis character (…) with three period characters (...) — typographic differences, CSS text-overflow, and when each is appropriate.

4. 4

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

   Distinguish the multiplication sign (×, U+00D7) from lowercase x and uppercase X — visual comparison, Unicode properties, and proper usage in math.

5. 5

   Minus vs Hyphen vs Dash: Five Characters That Look Like a Line

   Navigate the confusing world of horizontal line characters — hyphen-minus, en dash, em dash, minus sign, and horizontal bar.

6. 6

   Zero vs Letter O: Unicode Confusables and Homograph Attacks

   How 0, O, and О (Cyrillic) create confusion — from font design to IDN homograph attacks, confusable detection, and security implications.

7. 7

   Space Characters in Unicode: 20+ Invisible Characters Compared

   Explore Unicode's space characters — regular space, non-breaking space, zero-width space, em space, thin space, and other invisible formatting characters.

8. 8

   Bullet (•) vs Middle Dot (·): Small Dots, Big Differences

   Compare the bullet (•), middle dot (·), and other dot-like characters — proper usage in lists, navigation separators, and interpuncts.