Interpunct facts for kids

An interpunct (·) is a special dot used in writing. It's also called a middle dot or middot. This dot is placed in the middle of a line of text, not at the bottom like a period.

Long ago, in ancient Latin writing, people used the interpunct to separate words. This was before we started using spaces between words, which became common much later, around 600 to 800 AD. Today, the interpunct is still used in different ways in some modern languages. You can find it in the Unicode system, which is how computers understand text.

There's also a similar dot used in math called the multiplication dot (·). It looks a lot like an interpunct but is used for different things, like showing multiplication.

How the Interpunct is Used in Writing

The interpunct helps us understand words better in different ways.

Breaking Words into Syllables

Many dictionaries use the interpunct to show how a word can be divided into syllables. For example, if you see "syl·la·ble", the dots show where each syllable ends. This helps you pronounce words correctly.

The Interpunct in English

In British writing, the interpunct was once used as a formal decimal point. This means it showed the decimal part of a number. For example, people would write £21·48 instead of £21.48.

When Britain changed its money system in 1971, they officially suggested using a raised dot for decimals. However, this way of writing numbers became less common by the mid-1970s. This was because more electronic typewriters, calculators, and computers from the United States and Japan started using the regular period as a decimal point. Even so, some people still use the interpunct in their handwriting.

In the past, during the early modern era, periods were sometimes written as interpuncts. An example of this can be seen in the handwritten Mayflower Compact.

In the Shavian alphabet, which is a special way of writing English, interpuncts are used instead of capital letters. They show which words are proper nouns (like names of people or places). The dot is placed at the beginning of the word.

Images for kids

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  Bradford's transcription of the Mayflower Compact

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  Metro station Paral·lel in Barcelona

See also

In Spanish: Punto medio (escritura) para niños