Bullet Point Symbols

The humble bullet point is one of the most-used typographic elements in digital communication, yet Unicode offers dozens of variations beyond the standard round bullet. From the compact middle dot to the ornate rotated floral heart bullet, each variant carries a different visual weight and communicates a distinct level of hierarchy. This guide catalogues every major bullet point character in Unicode, explains when each is appropriate, and provides the keyboard shortcuts, HTML entities, and CSS patterns developers need.

Quick Copy-Paste Table

The Standard Bullet — U+2022

The bullet (•, U+2022) is defined in the General Punctuation block. It is the universal default for unordered lists in word processors, HTML, and most markdown renderers. CSS list-style-type: disc renders an equivalent circle, but using the Unicode character directly gives you more control in ::before pseudo-elements and custom list styles.

The bullet sits at the vertical midpoint of the text line (x-height), making it visually balanced next to text at all font sizes.

/* Standard CSS list bullet */
ul { list-style-type: disc; }

/* Custom Unicode bullet via ::before */
ul.custom li::before {
  content: "•";
  color: #3b82f6;   /* blue-500 */
  margin-right: 0.5em;
}

Hierarchical Bullet Nesting

A common pattern uses visually distinct bullets at each nesting level to communicate hierarchy without indentation alone.

<ul>
  <li>First level &#x2022;
    <ul>
      <li>Second level &#x25E6;
        <ul>
          <li>Third level &#x25AA;</li>
        </ul>
      </li>
    </ul>
  </li>
</ul>

In Markdown (CommonMark), nested bullets inherit the rendering from the parser/renderer. For plain-text documents where Markdown will not be processed, explicit Unicode characters enforce visual hierarchy regardless of the display environment.

Round Bullet Variants

Middle Dot vs Bullet

The middle dot (·, U+00B7) and the bullet (•, U+2022) look similar at small sizes but serve different purposes:

• Middle Dot: Interpunct used as a list separator in ancient Greek texts, modern use in phonetics (syllable breaks: "bul·let"), and as a multiplication operator surrogate.
• Bullet: List marker for unordered lists.

For list bullets, always prefer U+2022. The middle dot is too small and its vertical positioning may vary by font.

Square Bullet Variants

Square bullets add a more technical, structured visual feel — common in documentation, specifications, and feature lists.

Triangle and Arrow Bullets

Triangular and arrow bullets are directional — they point toward the list item, implying action or continuation. Common in step-by-step instructions and navigation menus.

<!-- Step-by-step instructions with triangle bullets -->
<ol style="list-style: none; padding-left: 0;">
  <li>&#x25B8; Open Terminal</li>
  <li>&#x25B8; Run <code>npm install</code></li>
  <li>&#x25B8; Start the server with <code>npm start</code></li>
</ol>

Dash Bullets

Using a dash as a bullet is a stylistic choice popular in minimalist design and developer documentation.

The hyphen bullet (⁃, U+2043) is the typographically correct choice when you want a dash bullet. The en dash (–) is a common alternative.

Ornamental and Decorative Bullets

For designs that need visual character — newsletters, certificates, menus, or creative documents — Unicode provides ornamental bullets from the Dingbats block.

HTML and CSS Implementation

Using list-style-type

CSS Level 3 allows custom string values for list-style-type:

/* All modern browsers support this */
ul.arrow-list {
  list-style-type: "▸ ";
}

ul.star-list {
  list-style-type: "✦ ";
}

Using ::before pseudo-element (broadest compatibility)

ul.custom-bullets {
  list-style: none;
  padding-left: 1.5rem;
}

ul.custom-bullets li {
  position: relative;
}

ul.custom-bullets li::before {
  content: "•";       /* or ▸ ✦ ◦ ▪ etc. */
  position: absolute;
  left: -1.25rem;
  color: #6366f1;     /* indigo-500 */
  font-weight: bold;
}

Tailwind CSS utility approach

<!-- Tailwind v3/v4 with before: modifier -->
<ul>
  <li class="relative pl-5 before:content-['•'] before:absolute before:left-0 before:text-indigo-500">
    First item
  </li>
</ul>

Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows

macOS

Markdown and Plain Text Notes

In standard CommonMark Markdown, -, *, and + are the list marker characters. When the output is rendered to HTML, the browser styles the bullets. For plain-text files (.txt, terminal output, emails) where Markdown is not processed, paste Unicode bullets directly:

Unordered list in plain text:
  • First item
  • Second item
    ◦ Nested item
    ◦ Another nested item
  • Third item

For README files on GitHub and other Markdown renderers, prefer the standard - or * list syntax so that indentation and nesting are handled correctly by the renderer.

Summary Table: Choosing the Right Bullet

Summary

Unicode's bullet vocabulary ranges from the ubiquitous round bullet (• U+2022) to ornamental classical hedera (❧ U+2767). For most web work, the round bullet via CSS list-style-type: disc or the ::before pseudo-element with content: "•" is the right choice. Triangle bullets (‣ ▸) work well for navigation and step lists. Square bullets (▪ ▫) suit technical specifications. Dash bullets (– ⁃) convey minimalist restraint. And for special occasions — newsletters, certificates, invitations — the Dingbats block's floral and star-shaped bullets bring typographic richness without any images or icon fonts.