The section sign § and pilcrow ¶ are traditional document symbols associated with the structure of written text.
In many modern conventions, the section sign refers to a numbered section or similar division, while the pilcrow is associated with paragraphs and paragraph structure. The distinction is useful, but it is not universal: historical and regional conventions can vary.
They are separate Unicode characters:
§ — U+00A7 SECTION SIGN
¶ — U+00B6 PILCROW SIGN
Section Sign and Pilcrow at a Glance
| Symbol | Name | Unicode | Typical modern role |
|---|---|---|---|
| § | SECTION SIGN | U+00A7 | Reference to a numbered section or paragraph |
| ¶ | PILCROW SIGN | U+00B6 | Paragraph mark, paragraph reference, or visible formatting marker |
Both belong to a long tradition of punctuation and document symbols used to make textual structure easier to reference or display.
What Is the Section Sign §?
§ is U+00A7 SECTION SIGN.
It is commonly used when referring to a numbered section or paragraph in a structured document.
For example:
§ 12
may be read as “section 12” in a document that uses that citation convention.
The symbol does not itself define the structure of the document. Its exact interpretation depends on the citation system and surrounding text.
Where Is the Section Sign Used?
The section sign is especially common in legal, regulatory, academic, and reference material where documents are divided into numbered units.
For example:
See § 4.2.
In another document, the same symbol may refer to a numbered paragraph rather than a heading explicitly called a section. Unicode itself notes its use for referencing numbered sections or paragraphs.
What Do Two Section Signs §§ Mean?
Some citation traditions use a doubled section sign:
§§
when referring to multiple sections.
For example:
§§ 10–12
may indicate sections 10 through 12 under a convention that uses this plural form.
There is no separate Unicode “plural section sign” character. §§ contains two U+00A7 SECTION SIGN characters.
What Is the Pilcrow ¶?
¶ is U+00B6 PILCROW SIGN.
It is also commonly called the paragraph sign or paragraph mark.
The pilcrow is associated with paragraph divisions, paragraph references, editorial markup, and visible document structure.
Unicode also notes that it has served as a section sign in some European conventions, which is one reason the distinction between § and ¶ should not be treated as historically universal.
Why Does ¶ Appear in Word Processors?
Many word processors can reveal nonprinting formatting information such as paragraph boundaries, spaces, tabs, and other layout marks.
A pilcrow-shaped marker is commonly used to show the end of a paragraph.
When ¶ appears at the end of every paragraph while formatting marks are enabled, the application may simply be drawing an interface marker. The underlying document does not necessarily contain a literal U+00B6 PILCROW SIGN at each location.
Pilcrow ¶ vs an Actual Paragraph Break
A visible pilcrow character:
¶
is U+00B6.
A paragraph boundary, however, can be represented internally in different ways depending on the text format and application.
Unicode also contains U+2029 PARAGRAPH SEPARATOR, a separator character used to represent a paragraph boundary in plain text.
So a visible pilcrow in an editor and an actual paragraph-separation character are not automatically the same thing.
Section Sign § vs Pilcrow ¶
In many modern contexts, a useful rule of thumb is:
- § usually refers to a numbered section or comparable document unit;
- ¶ usually refers to a paragraph or paragraph boundary.
For example:
§ 5
is likely to be a section reference in a legal or structured document.
A visible:
¶
inside an editor is more likely to be associated with paragraph structure.
These are conventions, not universal semantic rules. The surrounding document remains important.
Are § and ¶ Legal Symbols?
The section sign is strongly associated with legal and regulatory writing because those documents often use formal numbered sections.
The pilcrow can also appear in legal, scholarly, or editorial systems when paragraphs need to be referenced directly.
Neither character belongs exclusively to law. Both have broader document and editorial uses.
Does § Always Mean “Section”?
Its Unicode name is SECTION SIGN, but Unicode notes that it is used when referencing numbered sections or paragraphs.
The surrounding citation convention therefore matters more than the English word in the character name.
For character identification, the stable fact is that § is U+00A7 SECTION SIGN.
What Is the Reversed Pilcrow ⁋?
Unicode also contains:
⁋ — U+204B REVERSED PILCROW SIGN
It is a separate character related visually and historically to the ordinary pilcrow.
Unicode contains several other historical paragraph marks as well, reflecting the long history of visible symbols used to divide manuscripts and printed text.
Pilcrow ¶ vs Reversed Pilcrow ⁋
| Symbol | Name | Code point |
|---|---|---|
| ¶ | PILCROW SIGN | U+00B6 |
| ⁋ | REVERSED PILCROW SIGN | U+204B |
They are different Unicode characters, not merely mirrored font styles of the same character.
Pilcrow ¶ vs Paragraph Separator U+2029
Both are related to paragraphs, but they serve different text-model roles.
¶ is a visible character with its own glyph.
U+2029 PARAGRAPH SEPARATOR represents a paragraph boundary and is normally not displayed as a printed paragraph mark.
This distinction is especially important when inspecting source text or debugging formatting: a visible pilcrow icon may be an editor aid, a literal U+00B6 character, or simply a visual representation of a structural paragraph boundary.
Why Copying Text Can Be Misleading
A pilcrow displayed by an editor may be part of the editing interface rather than part of the document text. Copying the surrounding paragraph may therefore omit it.
If the document contains a literal U+00B6 character, however, copying the text will normally preserve that character.
This difference is useful when examining imported documents, converted files, editorial markup, or text copied from rich-text software.
How to Tell Which Document Symbol You Have
Context usually provides the first clue:
- A mark before a numbered citation is likely §.
- A mark associated with paragraphs or formatting boundaries is likely ¶.
- A reversed paragraph-shaped mark may be ⁋.
Remember that a pilcrow displayed by editing software may be an interface marker rather than a literal character stored in the document.
If you have copied a visible symbol and want to know exactly which character it is, paste it into What Is This Symbol and inspect its Unicode identity.
The Main Difference
- § is U+00A7 SECTION SIGN and is commonly used for numbered section or paragraph references;
- ¶ is U+00B6 PILCROW SIGN and is commonly associated with paragraphs and paragraph structure;
- ⁋ is the separate U+204B REVERSED PILCROW SIGN;
- a pilcrow displayed by an editor does not necessarily mean a literal U+00B6 character is present in the text.
In modern usage, § and ¶ often distinguish section-level and paragraph-level references, but the exact convention should always be read in context.