What Is an Interrobang?!

Definition and
Examples

Most of the punctuation marks we know and love have been around for centuries, but can you
believe that’s not the case for the wild and whimsical interrobang‽

Invented in 1962, this punctuation mark combines the exclamation mark and the question mark into
one fancy doodad. Although it’s lesser known than most punctuation types and not often used, it’s a
fun trick you can use to convey a question in an excited and energized way.

But what does the interrobang do? And how can you use it to spice up your writing? Let’s
interrogate the interrobang so you can give your writing a little extra flair.

You writing, at its best

Grammarly helps you communicate confidently

What is an interrobang?
An interrobang [in-TER-eh-bang] is a nonstandard double punctuation mark that combines the
functions and glyphs of an exclamation mark (!) and a question mark (?) into one form: ‽. It
indicates a sentence that is both a question and an exclamation, expressing surprise or disbelief.

The interrobang gets its name from the punctuation it’s intended to combine—interro is from
“interrogation point,” the technical term for question mark, and bang is printers slang for the
exclamation mark.

Superimposing both punctuation marks into a single glyph signifies an exclamatory sentence that is
a question. This means the interrobang is best used to end a rhetorical question or conclude a
simultaneous exclamation and question. It is sometimes called an “interabang” or “exclamation
question mark.”
The word interrobang was coined by advertising executive Martin K. Speckter. Frustrated with
copywriters’ tendency to combine exclamation and question marks to yield a surprised or rhetorical
question, he offered a solution to replace this “ugly, jury-rigged construction,” and the interrobang
was born.

You’ve likely come across the improvised punctuation before, written simply as a back-to-back
exclamation mark and question mark, like this: !? or ?!

Still, this is the only way to employ the interrobang in everyday writing, as there is no dedicated
key for the glyph on standard keyboards. As such, most writers continue to communicate the
sentiment the interrobang expresses by using !? or ?! concurrently, just as they did before the
mark’s official invention.

When to use an interrobang

Since the interrobang has such a quirky punctuation personality, it can be challenging to know
when it’s appropriate to use one. However, if you enjoy using unique and expressive punctuation,
this offbeat character has obvious appeal.

The interrobang will always come at the end of a sentence. Most often, interrobangs are used to
convey a sense of surprise or disbelief or a combination of both in the form of a question. It adds
energy to a question, resulting in either shocked incredulity (“She said what to Martin‽”) or an
excited inquiry (“They won a trip to Spain from a radio show‽”).

Still uncertain about when it’s appropriate to use the interrobang? Here are three cases when it
makes sense to use this combined character:

1 Rhetorical questions with emphasis: Interrobangs are ideal when you’re asking a rhetorical
question that is meant to be particularly emphatic. They can add a visual cue to communicate extra
intensity, as in “What were you thinking‽”

2 Combining a question and an exclamation: If a statement is both a question and an

exclamation, the interrobang can represent this dual nature, as in “You published a book‽”

3 Expressing strong emotion: Interrobangs are especially appropriate when you want to convey a
heightened sense of emotion or astonishment, as in “He really said that about his own child‽”

Although the interrobang is certainly a fun and expressive mark of punctuation, it’s crucial to note
that it is not a standardized form, and some style guides and formal scenarios may discourage its
use. If you decide to use one, make sure you’re aware of your audience and that it’s apt for the
context.

How to include an interrobang

Since the interrobang is not included on standard keyboards, learning how to type one takes a little
extra effort. Here are several ways to write or type an interrobang:

Write an interrobang: If you are putting pen to paper, writing an interrobang is easy. First, write a
traditional question mark at the end of your sentence. Then, draw a straight line through it to signify
the exclamation mark. No second period or point is needed!

Type an interrobang with Google Docs: Under the “Insert” menu select “Special characters” and
then search for “interrobang: in the search bar. Click the glyph to insert in your text.
Type an interrobang with Unicode: If you use Unicode (the text-encoding standard where each
letter, digit, or symbol is assigned a numeric value), you can easily type interrobangs. Simply use
the code U+203D. This can be achieved by pressing the Alt key, then pressing the plus sign (+) key,
and typing the code U+203D. Release the Alt key, and your interrobang should appear.

Typean interrobang with the Character Palette in macOS: You can readily find an interrobang
symbol on the Character Palette, which is included on macOS. To do so, press the Ctrl key, then
press Cmd, and then press the space bar. This will open up a menu with various emojis and
symbols. Type “interrobang” into the search box, select the interrobang symbol, and this will add it
to your document.

Typing an interrobang without any key code: If you are unable to employ a key code through
Unicode or through the macOS Character Palette, you can still include an interrobang by copying
and pasting it from another document or web page. Simply highlight the glyph, right-click it, copy
it, and then right-click again in your document to paste it.

Interrobang examples
To make things even clearer for you, let’s take a look at several sentence examples where
interrobangs are used correctly.

Henry’s leaving the company after only two months‽

What do you mean you lost the keys to my apartment‽
Why on earth would Wendy do that‽
You’re telling me you’ve never seen an episode of Seinfeld‽
How could you forget our anniversary‽
Dad ate the last slice of pizza after I told him I wanted it‽
You’re really wearing that to the party‽

Interrobang FAQs

What is an interrobang?
An interrobang [in-TER-eh-bang] is a nonstandard double punctuation mark that combines the
functions and glyphs of the exclamation mark and question mark into one form: ‽.

When do you use an interrobang?

The interrobang is written as a single character that is used to indicate a sentence is both a question
and an exclamation, expressing surprise or disbelief. Appearing at the end of a sentence,
interrobangs add energy to a question, expressing either shocked incredulity or an excited inquiry.

How do you type an interrobang?

You can type an interrobang by using the text-encoding standard Unicode, which is built into many
computers, or by using the character palette in macOS on your computer, tablet, or phone. You can
insert it in Google Docs in the “Special characters” option, or simply copy and paste an interrobang
from another document or web page.