What is Punctuation Space (U+2008)?

The Punctuation Space (U+2008) is a character in Unicode that represents a space specifically designed for use with punctuation marks. In typography, it is used to separate punctuation marks from surrounding text, such as in cases where multiple punctuation marks appear in close proximity.

The width of the Punctuation Space character is designed to match the width of punctuation marks in a particular font. This helps to ensure that punctuation marks will align properly with each other, and with the text surrounding them. The width of the Punctuation Space character can vary between fonts, but it is typically narrower than a regular space character (U+0020).

Unicode U+2008
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How to type Punctuation Space (U+2008)?

The Punctuation Space (U+2008) character can be typed in various ways, depending on the operating system and the text editor being used. Here are some common methods:

  • On Windows, you can type the Punctuation Space character using the Windows Character Map. To do this, open the Character Map, select the “Unicode Subrange” option, choose “General Punctuation,” and then locate the Punctuation Space character. You can then copy and paste it into your text editor.
  • On Mac, you can type the Punctuation Space character using the Keyboard Viewer. To do this, enable the Keyboard Viewer in System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources, and then press and hold the Option key. The Keyboard Viewer will appear, and you can select the Punctuation Space character from it.
  • On both Windows and Mac, you can also type the Punctuation Space character by using a Unicode code point. To do this, you’ll need to enable a Unicode input method, and then type the code point “U+2008” or “2008” using the hexadecimal notation. The exact method for enabling a Unicode input method depends on the operating system and text editor being used.

In some text editors, you can also define custom keyboard shortcuts for inserting frequently-used Unicode characters, such as the Punctuation Space character.

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