HTML Entity Encoder & Decoder
Encode special characters to HTML entities or decode entities back to plain text. Supports both named and numeric entity formats.
| Character | Named | Numeric | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| & | & | & | Ampersand |
| < | < | < | Less than |
| > | > | > | Greater than |
| " | " | " | Double quote |
| ' | ' | ' | Single quote |
| |   | Non-breaking space | |
| © | © | © | Copyright |
| ® | ® | ® | Registered |
| ™ | ™ | ™ | Trademark |
| € | € | € | Euro sign |
| £ | £ | £ | Pound sign |
| – | – | – | En dash |
| — | — | — | Em dash |
| ° | ° | ° | Degree |
How to Use This HTML Entity Tool
HTML entities are used to represent special characters that have reserved meaning in HTML, such as angle brackets, ampersands, and quotation marks. Paste your text into the input area and click Encode to convert special characters to their HTML entity equivalents. Toggle between named entities (like &) and numeric entities (like &) depending on your preference. To decode, paste HTML-encoded text and click Decode to reveal the original characters. The common entities reference table below the tool provides a quick lookup for the most frequently used entities.
Why Use HTML Entities?
HTML entities prevent browsers from misinterpreting special characters as HTML markup. For example, using a raw less-than sign in your content could break the page layout because the browser would interpret it as the start of an HTML tag. Encoding it as an entity ensures it displays correctly as text. This is essential for displaying code snippets, mathematical expressions, and any content containing characters that overlap with HTML syntax.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this tool free?
Yes, completely free with no limitations or sign-up required.
What is the difference between named and numeric entities?
Named entities use descriptive names (like & for ampersand), while numeric entities use the Unicode code point (like &). Named entities are more readable, but numeric entities work for any Unicode character.
Is my data private?
Yes, all encoding and decoding happens entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server.