ASCII Character .
Period, dot or full stopThe full stop (Commonwealth English), period (North American English), or full point ., is a punctuation mark. It is used for several purposes, most often to mark the end of a declarative sentence (as distinguished from a question or exclamation). This sentence-ending use, alone, defines the strictest sense of full stop. Although full stop technically applies only when the mark is used to end a sentence, the distinction – drawn since at least 1897 – is not maintained by all modern style guides and dictionaries. In the English-speaking world, a punctuation mark identical to the full stop is used as the decimal separator and for other purposes, and may be called a point. In computing, it is called a dot.
Source: Wikipedia
ASCII Code for .
These are the code points for period, dot or full stop in various character setsUnicode for .
The character for period, dot or full stop is mapped in Unicode as U+002E| Unicode | U+002E | |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode Decimal | 46 | |
| Unicode Escape | \u002e | |
| UTF-8 (hex) | 0x2E | |
| UTF-8 (binary) | 00101110 | |
| UTF-8 (binary) | ||
| 00101110 | ||
| UTF-16 | 0x002E | |
| UTF-32 | 0x0000002E | |
HTML Entities for .
The following HTML entities can be used to represent the period, dot or full stop in HTML| HTML Number | . | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML Hex | . | |
| HTML Entity | . | |
Encoding
Encoding non-standard letters and characters into values that can be displayed e.g. in browsers| URL Escape Code | . | |
|---|---|---|
| Quoted-printable | =2E |
Source Code
| C, C++, and Java | "\u002E" | |
|---|---|---|
| CSS Code | \002E | |
| JavaScript | "\u002E" | |
| Perl | \x{002E} | |
| Python 2 | u"\u002E" | |
| Python 3 | \u002E | |
| Ruby | \u{002E} |
Frequently Asked Questions about .
Dot, period, full stop, and point share some similarities but are not entirely the same. Their meanings and usage depend on the context:
- Dot: A dot (.) is a small round mark used in various contexts, such as a decimal point or as part of internet domain names and email addresses.
- Period: In American English, a period (.) is a punctuation mark used to signal the end of a sentence. It is the same symbol as a dot but has a specific meaning in the context of written language.
- Full stop: In British English, a full stop (.) is the equivalent of the American English period. It is a punctuation mark used to signal the end of a sentence.
- Point: The term "point" is used when referring to a decimal point that separates the integer part of a number from the fractional part. It is also the same symbol as a dot but has a specific meaning in the context of numbers.
In modern writing conventions, the general rule for spacing before and after a full stop (or period) is as follows:
- Before a full stop: Do not add any space before the full stop. It should be placed immediately after the last character of the sentence without a space.
- After a full stop: Add a single space after the full stop. This helps to visually separate sentences and makes the text easier to read.
Example:
Correct: "This is a sentence. Here is another sentence."
Incorrect: "This is a sentence .Here is another sentence ."
In some contexts, a period can be called a "dot." However, in written language, especially in American English, it is more common to refer to the punctuation mark (.) used to signal the end of a sentence as a "period." In British English, it is usually called a "full stop." The term "dot" is more commonly used when referring to elements in internet domain names, email addresses, or as a decimal point in numbers.
In general, a dot (.) can be considered a special character, as it has specific functions and meanings in various contexts. Here are some examples of how a dot is used as a special character:
- Decimal point: In mathematics and many computing systems, a dot is used as a decimal point to separate the integer part of a number from the fractional part. For example, in the number 3.14, the dot serves as the decimal point.
- Period: In written language, a dot is used as a period (also called a full stop) to mark the end of a sentence.
- File extensions: In computing, a dot is used in file names to separate the base file name from the file extension, which indicates the file type. For example, in the file name "document.docx", the dot separates the file name "document" from the file extension "docx".
- Internet domain names: In internet addresses, a dot is used to separate the different parts of a domain name, such as "www.example.com".
- Wildcard character: In some programming languages and regular expressions, a dot is used as a wildcard character that can match any single character.
Whether you should say "dot" or "period" depends on the context in which you're using the term:
- Decimal point: If you're referring to a decimal point that separates the integer part of a number from the fractional part, you should say "dot." For example, in the number 3.14, you would say "three point one four" or "three dot one four."
- End of a sentence: If you're referring to the punctuation mark that signals the end of a sentence, you should say "period" in American English. In British English, it is called a "full stop." For example, "The sentence ends with a period (or full stop)."
- Internet domain names, email addresses, or file extensions: When referring to elements in internet domain names, email addresses, or file extensions, it is common to say "dot." For example, in the domain name "www.example.com," you would say "www dot example dot com."
Another name for the full stop, particularly in American English, is the "period." Both terms refer to the punctuation mark (.) used to signal the end of a sentence in written language. While "full stop" is more commonly used in British English, "period" is the preferred term in American English.
In the USA, the punctuation mark known as a "full stop" in British English is called a "period." Both terms refer to the same punctuation mark (.) used to signal the end of a sentence in written language.
British English speakers use the term "full stop" to refer to the punctuation mark (.) at the end of a sentence because it indicates the sentence has come to a complete or "full" stop. This term has been in use since at least the 17th century and is still commonly used today. The term "period" is used for the same punctuation mark in American English, and while its origins are less clear, it is thought to have arisen from the idea of the mark being used to indicate a "period" of time or a complete thought in a sentence. Both terms describe the same punctuation mark, but the choice of words varies between British and American English.
The practice of putting two spaces after a period (or full stop) originated in the era of typewriters. Typewriters used monospaced fonts, which allocated the same width to each character. In monospaced fonts, narrow characters like "i" and "l" took up the same space as wider characters like "m" and "w." As a result, the text appeared more spaced out, making it harder to distinguish the end of one sentence and the beginning of another.
To improve readability, typists adopted the convention of adding two spaces after a period to create a more apparent separation between sentences. This practice continued even after the transition to digital word processors and computers.
However, with the widespread use of proportional fonts in modern word processing software and digital text, where each character occupies only the space it needs, the need for double spaces after a period has diminished. Most style guides and modern writing conventions now recommend using a single space after a period to maintain consistent spacing and improve the visual appearance of the text.