Bullet • vs Middle Dot · vs Dot Operator ⋅: What’s the Difference?

The bullet •, middle dot ·, and dot operator ⋅ are different Unicode characters that can all appear as dots near the middle of a line.

Their exact size and vertical position depend on the font, so visual differences are not always obvious. Their usual functions, however, are different: the bullet is a typographic marker, the middle dot is punctuation with several uses, and the dot operator is a mathematical operator.

Bullet, Middle Dot, and Dot Operator at a Glance

These dot-shaped characters are a useful example of how similar-looking punctuation symbols and mathematical operators can have different Unicode identities.

What Is the Bullet •?

• is U+2022 BULLET.

Its most familiar use is as a marker in a list:

• First item
• Second item
• Third item

A bullet can also be used as a visual separator:

News • Guides • Reference

In these uses, the character is primarily typographic. It is not the dedicated mathematical multiplication dot.

Bullet • vs Period .

The bullet should not be confused with an ordinary period:

. — U+002E FULL STOP

• — U+2022 BULLET

A bullet is generally larger and positioned higher than a period, although the exact appearance depends on the font.

The period functions as sentence punctuation, while the bullet commonly serves as a marker or separator.

What Is the Middle Dot ·?

· is U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT.

It is a punctuation character whose glyph is normally positioned around the middle of the text line rather than on the baseline.

The middle dot has several established uses across languages, typography, and technical notation.

Middle Dot in Written Language

A well-known use occurs in Catalan in the sequence l·l, known as the ela geminada.

Here the middle dot belongs to an orthographic convention. It is not a bullet and it is not being used as a mathematical operator.

U+00B7 also has other linguistic and typographic uses in different writing traditions.

Middle Dot as a Separator

A middle dot can be used as a compact visual separator:

word · word · word

This is a typographic convention rather than a single universal semantic meaning assigned by Unicode.

Another publication might use bullets, slashes, vertical bars, or spacing for the same visual purpose.

Can the Middle Dot · Mean Multiplication?

Yes. U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT has historically been used to denote multiplication, and it is still encountered that way in real-world text.

However, Unicode distinguishes the punctuation character from the dedicated mathematical operator U+22C5 DOT OPERATOR.

For mathematical multiplication, Unicode prefers ⋅.

That distinction gives mathematical software a character with unambiguous operator semantics and more predictable mathematical layout behavior.

What Is the Dot Operator ⋅?

⋅ is U+22C5 DOT OPERATOR.

It is a mathematical operator, commonly used to represent multiplication.

For example:

a ⋅ b

In specialized areas of mathematics, centered dot notation can represent other operations as well, so the precise meaning still depends on the mathematical context.

Middle Dot · vs Dot Operator ⋅

These two characters are especially easy to confuse:

· — U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT

⋅ — U+22C5 DOT OPERATOR

Unicode specifically separates these characters so that the mathematical form can have mathematical operator properties rather than inheriting the behavior of a punctuation mark.

Bullet • vs Middle Dot ·

The bullet is generally more prominent:

•

while the middle dot is usually smaller:

·

That visual difference is common, but it is not guaranteed across every font.

The intended role is a better clue:

• • commonly marks a list item or acts as a prominent separator;
• · commonly acts as centered punctuation or an orthographic mark.

Bullet • vs Dot Operator ⋅

These are also separate characters:

• — U+2022 BULLET

⋅ — U+22C5 DOT OPERATOR

A bullet is primarily a typographic character. The dot operator is specifically encoded as a mathematical operator.

Using a bullet in a formula may still look understandable to a reader, but it does not make it equivalent to U+22C5.

What Is the Bullet Operator ∙?

There is another related mathematical character:

∙ — U+2219 BULLET OPERATOR

Despite its name and appearance, it is not U+2022 BULLET. It is a mathematical operator.

U+2219 and U+22C5 are both mathematical operators, while U+2022 and U+00B7 belong to punctuation-oriented character sets.

Middle Dot · vs Greek Ano Teleia ·

Another character that can appear identical is:

· — U+0387 GREEK ANO TELEIA

In Greek, the ano teleia functions roughly like a semicolon.

Unicode defines U+0387 as canonically equivalent to U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT and identifies U+00B7 as the preferred character.

As a result, Unicode normalization can remove the distinction between these two code points.

Middle Dot · vs Period .

The ordinary period is:

. — U+002E FULL STOP

The middle dot is:

· — U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT

In many fonts, the period sits close to the baseline while the middle dot is centered vertically.

They are nevertheless different characters, not alternative positions of the same punctuation mark.

What Does “Interpunct” Mean?

The term interpunct is commonly used for a centered dot that separates words or other units of text.

U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT is often the Unicode character used for this shape and function.

The term describes a typographic or historical role rather than defining a separate Unicode character for every centered separator dot.

Why Fonts Make These Dots Difficult to Identify

Fonts control the size, weight, height, and spacing of each glyph.

In one typeface, •, ·, ∙, and ⋅ may look clearly different. In another, several of them may appear almost identical.

Zooming in can provide clues, but it cannot prove which code point is present.

Why the Difference Matters in Mathematics

Unicode deliberately separates several ordinary punctuation marks from similar-looking mathematical operators.

Mathematical operators can be rendered on the mathematical centerline and receive operator-specific spacing and semantics.

That is why ⋅ is preferable to · when the intended meaning is mathematical multiplication and the text system supports the dedicated operator.

Why the Difference Matters in Search and Data

Software can treat all four characters as different values.

The distinction can affect:

• search and replace;
• mathematical parsing;
• string comparison;
• language processing;
• database matching;
• copy and paste;
• Unicode normalization.

How to Tell Which Dot Symbol You Have

Start with the surrounding context:

• A prominent dot before a list item is probably a bullet.
• A small centered mark inside ordinary text may be a middle dot.
• A centered dot between mathematical expressions may be a dot operator or another mathematical operator.

Then check the actual character when exact identity matters.

If a copied dot is too small or too similar to distinguish visually, paste it into What Is This Symbol and inspect its Unicode identity.

The Main Difference

• • is U+2022 BULLET, primarily a typographic marker;
• · is U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT, a punctuation character with several linguistic and technical uses;
• ∙ is U+2219 BULLET OPERATOR, a mathematical operator;
• ⋅ is U+22C5 DOT OPERATOR, the Unicode-preferred dot character for mathematical multiplication.

The characters may look similar, but their Unicode properties and intended roles are different.