Upside Down Exclamation Mark (¡): Copy, Paste and Type It on Any Keyboard
Copy the ¡ symbol in one click and learn when Spanish uses it: interjections, vocatives, onomatopoeia and exclamatory phrases.
Opening mark · U+00A1
The opening mark ¡ is the mirror image of the closing one. Copy it in a click or type it with your system shortcut.
- Unicode
- U+00A1
- HTML
- ¡
- Windows
- Alt + 0161
What is the upside down exclamation mark?
The upside down exclamation mark (¡) is the opening sign that marks where an exclamation begins in Spanish. It is always paired with the closing mark (!) and occupies Unicode code point U+00A1.
Its job is the same as the inverted question mark: to tell the reader, from the very first character, what tone is coming. What differs is the range. Where the question mark delimits questions, the exclamation covers a far broader set of constructions, from a single word to a complete sentence.
In Spanish it is also called signo de admiración, especially across Latin America. Both names are correct: the RAE lists «exclamación» as the primary term and «admiración» as an equally valid traditional one.
Both Spanish opening marks came from the same academic reasoning: if the reader cannot tell what tone a sentence starts in, warn them up front. You can read the full historical background on our upside down question mark page, including when the Academy proposed it and why almost no other language adopted it.
On a Spanish keyboard the opening exclamation has its own key, next to the 0 — which surprises anyone coming from an English layout who assumes a numeric code is always required. If you write in Spanish daily, that key saves a lot of time.
How to type the upside down exclamation mark on every system
The shortcuts differ from the question mark ones, so they are worth keeping straight.
Windows
Requires the numeric keypad with Num Lock on.
Spanish layouts have a dedicated key, right of the 0.
macOS
Shorter than the question mark shortcut.
Also in the Character Viewer: Control + ⌘ + Space.
Linux
On layouts that include an AltGr key.
With a Compose key: Compose then ! twice.
Android
The ¡ appears in the pop-up menu.
Works in Gboard and Samsung Keyboard.
iPhone & iPad
Slide your finger onto the ¡ symbol.
No need to install the Spanish keyboard.
Word & HTML
Built-in shortcut inside Microsoft Word.
In HTML: ¡ or ¡. In CSS: \00A1.
The pair of codes is worth memorising: Alt + 0161 for the opening exclamation and Alt + 0191 for the opening question. They are consecutive in the Latin-1 table (161 and 191) and work on any keyboard layout, because they insert the character by numeric value rather than physical position.
On a Mac the gap is wider: the opening exclamation takes Option + 1, a two-key shortcut, while the question mark needs three. If you write a lot of Spanish on an English keyboard, switching to the international layout in system settings pays off faster than memorising codes.
What goes between exclamation marks
This is where it really differs from the question mark. The RAE distinguishes five kinds of construction that sit between exclamation marks, and not all of them are full sentences.
¡Ay! · ¡Hola! · ¡Uf!
Single words that express a reaction or feeling on their own.
¡Ni modo! · ¡Caramba con el niño!
Fixed word groups that behave like a single interjection.
¡Chist! · ¡Pum!
Words imitating a sound, written between the marks.
¡Niños! · ¡Camarero!
Direct calls to someone, when spoken with emphasis.
¡Qué casa! · ¡Es impresionante!
Full sentences expressing surprise, admiration or a command.
One curious detail: some interjections work as either an exclamation or a question, and the mark you pick changes the meaning. Answering the phone, ¡aló! announces your presence while ¿aló? asks whether anyone is there. The same goes for ¡diga! and ¿diga?
Vocatives and where the mark goes
Vocatives in initial position may form part of the exclamation or stay outside it. Ortografía de la lengua española · Real Academia Española
This is the point that causes most doubt, and the answer is that both options are valid. When you address someone before exclaiming, the name can fall inside the emphasis or outside it, and the meaning shifts slightly.
¡Antonio, siéntate ahí!
The call is part of the emphasis: name and order are shouted together.
Antonio, ¡llévate eso de aquí!
You address him calmly first, and the emphasis starts afterwards.
Both are correct, so the choice is stylistic rather than orthographic. When the vocative comes last, however, it always stays inside: ¡Siéntate ahí, Antonio!
To prepare text before publishing you can clean the text of invisible characters, or remove accents if the destination will not take special characters.
Can the marks be repeated for emphasis?
¡¡¡Traidor!!!
Accepted by the RAE in literary works and highly expressive texts
Unlike other typographic devices the standard rejects, repeating the upside down exclamation mark and its closing partner is explicitly permitted. The RAE accepts two or three marks on each side to signal stronger emphasis in literary works, advertising copy and informal registers.
The condition is symmetry: open with three, close with three. And the Academy's warning is just as clear — the device should not spread beyond that expressive context. In a report, a professional email or an academic paper, a single pair is what is correct.
It should not be confused with the online habit of stacking loose closing marks («Qué fuerte!!!»), which stacks two errors: it drops the opening mark and multiplies an unpaired closing one.
Common mistakes with inverted exclamation
Just as with questions, the opening mark is not optional in careful Spanish writing.
The closing mark already ends the sentence, so no period follows it.
In a run of short chained exclamations, separate with commas and continue in lowercase.
If the sentence is both a question and an exclamation, combine both pairs symmetrically —¿¡Qué has dicho!?— and copy the other sign on the upside down question mark page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type ¡ if my keyboard does not have it?
Is the opening mark required in Spanish exclamations?
Can the marks be repeated for extra emphasis?
Where does the mark go when there is a vocative?
Can it be combined with the question mark?
What are the Unicode and HTML codes for ¡?
Which languages use the upside down exclamation mark?
Does ¡ count as a character on social media?
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