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Check mark

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Protious (talk | contribs) at 11:48, 18 March 2016 (Reverting this edit by Edokter. The check mark is not punctuation but it is the sidebar template that is named incorrectly.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A check mark, checkmark or tick is a mark (✓, ✔, etc.) used to indicate the concept "yes" (e.g. "yes; this has been verified", "yes; that is the correct answer", "yes; this has been completed", or "yes; this [item or option] applies to me"). The x mark is also sometimes used for this use (most notably on election ballot papers), but otherwise usually indicates "no", incorrectness, or failure.

As a verb, to check (off) or tick (off), means to add such a mark. Printed forms, printed documents, and computer software (see checkbox), commonly include squares in which to place check marks.

International differences

The check mark is a predominant affirmative symbol of convenience in the English-speaking world because of its instant and facile composition. In other countries, however, the mark is more complicated.

It is common in Swedish schools for a ✓ to indicate that an answer is incorrect, while "R", from the Swedish rätt, i.e., "correct", is used to indicate that an answer is correct.

In Finnish, ✓ stands for väärin, i.e., "wrong", due to its similarity to a slanted v. The opposite, "right", is marked with , a slanted vertical line emphasized with two dots.

In Korea and Japan, the O mark is used instead of the check mark. In Japan the check mark is commonly used instead of an X for wrong.

Unicode

The "Symbol, Other" category of Unicode provides various check marks:

  • U+237B NOT CHECK MARK
  • U+2610 BALLOT BOX
  • U+2611 BALLOT BOX WITH CHECK
  • U+2705 WHITE HEAVY CHECK MARK
  • U+2713 CHECK MARK
  • U+2714 HEAVY CHECK MARK

See also

References