Section sign

Also called silcrow or double s.

How to type it

Mac: Option + 6. Windows: Alt + 0167 on the number pad.

Common uses

• The section sign points to a numbered section of a law, contract, or code, as in § 4.
• Legal citations use it, such as 17 U.S.C. § 106.

Less common uses

• Two section signs, as in §§ 10–12, make the plural and refer to several sections at once.
• The mark is thought to come from a doubled letter S in the Latin signum sectionis, meaning section sign.
• Style guides usually put a space between § and the number, ideally a nonbreaking one so the two stay on one line.