6 ways to identify a symbol

While browsing the Internet you have probably come across a symbol that is not recognized. If you want to know its value, then look at today's article 6 how to search.

The Internet does not just have Google to find something unknown to you. Especially if it is a symbol then there are other specialized sites for this purpose. And with a variety of search methods. Let's go see them

1. Visit Symbols.com

The site Symbols.com is a great place to start your search. Along with the suggested options and categories on the homepage, you can use the symbol search engine to find what you are looking for. Just type the query at the top and you'll see symbols that match it. Of course in English.

The site is useful if you want to find a text search symbol (for example, by searching for the word "Delta", by Dimitris). But in many cases, when you find an unknown symbol you will wonder what it means and how it is pronounced. Fortunately, the site offers other ways to identify a symbol.

In the lower left corner of the page, you will see the "Graphical index" section. This allows you to search for a symbol based on its characteristics. It provides some simple drop-down boxes, which allow you to determine whether the shape is open or closed, whether it has colors, whether the lines are curved or straight, and the like.

Enter all the information you know, and then click “Search” to search for symbols that match your criteria. If this doesn't help you find what you're looking for, you can use the symbol categories to browse groups such as currency symbols, warning symbols, and more.

Alternatively, you can search alphabetically using the letters at the top of the screen. If you are looking for something specific, the Random button can help you learn something new and broaden your knowledge.

2. Shapecatcher: Draw a symbol to find out its meaning

Many times you have found the symbol you are looking for in a photo. That is, you don't have the copy-paste capability to find it easily.

The site Shapecatcher.com was made specifically for such cases. Just draw the symbol you want to look for using your mouse or touchscreen and click on the "Recognize" button. The service will show you symbols that match your design.

If it doesn't work, turn it off and try again. The site only uses free Unicode fonts, so it may not have all the possible symbols. Alternatively try the site Mausr.com which offers a similar alternative.

3. The classic solution: Google

If you come across an unfamiliar icon while browsing the web and once you can copy it, you do not need to run an identifier site. Just paste it in Google and perform a search. You will get your answer in a matter of seconds.

In Chrome, along with most other browsers, you can easily search Google for any text or symbol. Just mark it, right-click and select Google Search for "symbol". This will open a new tab with a Google search for that term. If your browser doesn't have this feature, you can simply copy the symbol as you would with any other text and paste it into Google.

Either way, Google needs to point you in the right direction to find the meaning of the unknown symbol.

4. Browse a list of symbols

Unicode (the template for text coding) supports a series of common symbols, which can appear as normal text. Although they do not have dedicated keys on a standard keyboard, you can use the ALT codes to insert these symbols.

If you can't find the symbol you are looking for using any of the above methods, you might be able to find it by browsing through all the symbols that Unicode supports. Take a look at Compart list that has different Unicode characters and you might find what you are interested in. If you prefer an alternative, see Unicode character table.

Of course, not all symbols in Unicode are supported. Road signs, religious symbols and everyday consumer symbols are not part of it. You may need to look into Wikipedia symbol page for these kinds of icons.

5. See Emoji symbols

While you could argue that technically, not technically, emoji are often a point of confusion for users. There are hundreds of emoji and more are coming out every year.

However, and since it's possible that the symbol you're looking for is simply an emoji, take a look at Emojipedia. Here you can search for a specific emoji, browse by category and read the emoji news. Every page of emoji tells you not only what its official meaning is, but which one is most commonly used.

6. Use MarketWatch

If you have to make some money symbol, then MarketWatch a financial website that offers a handy symbol search tool. If you know the symbol you are interested in, type it to see details about it.

Knowing what the meaning of any symbol is
Now you know where to go to find information every time you come across an unknown symbol. Whether it's a quick Google search or something very specialized, you can have the exact meaning of the symbol without having to guess about what this icon means.