Interrobang facts for kids
An interrobang (pronounced in-TER-oh-bang) is a special punctuation mark. It looks like a question mark (?) and an exclamation mark (!) combined into one symbol: ‽.
It's used at the end of a sentence that is both a question and an exclamation. Think of it as asking a question while also showing strong surprise or disbelief.
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What is an Interrobang?
The interrobang is a unique punctuation mark. It combines the meaning of a question mark and an exclamation mark. It helps show strong feelings like surprise, confusion, or excitement, all within a question.
For example, if someone told you something unbelievable, you might say, "You did what‽" This shows you are asking a question but also very surprised.
Why Don't We See It Often?
The interrobang is not used very often today. Most people simply use both a question mark and an exclamation mark together, like this: !? or ?!. These combinations do the same job as the interrobang.
The interrobang was invented in 1962 by an American named Martin K. Speckter. He thought it would be useful for writers to have a single mark for these types of sentences. Even though it's a clever idea, it never became a common part of everyday writing.
How to Type an Interrobang
On a computer, the interrobang looks like this: ‽.
If you are using a Chromebook, you can type it using a special code. You press the keys Ctrl + Shift + u at the same time. Then, you type the numbers 203D and press Enter.
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