How to Type Curly Quotes and Curly Apostrophes

Use keyboard shortcuts, HTML codes, or the Windows Character Map

By
Jacci Howard Bear
Jacci Howard Bear
Writer
A graphic designer, writer, and artist who writes about and teaches print and web design.
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Updated on November 27, 2022
Reviewed by
Lisa Mildon
Lisa Mildon
Reviewed by Lisa Mildon
  • Southern New Hampshire University
Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

What to Know

  • MS Word: Type ALT+0145 for a left single quotation mark or apostrophe and ALT+0146 for a right one.
  • Type ALT+0147 for a left double quotation mark and ALT+0148 for a right one.
  • macOS: Type Option+] (left single quote); Shift+Option+] (right); Option+[ (left double); Shift+Option+[ (right).

This article explains how to type and use curly quote marks (also called smart quotes) and apostrophes in all versions of Microsoft Windows and macOS.

Create Smart Quotes in Microsoft Word

To manually insert smart quotes, the keyboard must have a numeric keypad, and you must activate the Num Lock key. To use the numeric codes, press and hold the Alt key, then type the four-digit character code on the numeric keypad.

  • Use ALT+0145 and ALT+0146 for the left and right single quotation marks or apostrophes, respectively. 
  • Use ALT+0147 and ALT+0148 for the left and right double quotation marks, respectively.

Use the numeric keypad and not the row of numbers above the alphabet. The top number row does not work for this procedure.

If your keyboard lacks a numeric keypad, use the Character Map. To launch it, press Win+R and type charmap in the Run box. When it opens, find the character you want to insert, and click Select. Select Copy when you've selected all the characters you want to add, then paste them into the document.

The great thing about Character Map is that it supports all possible glyphs within a typeface, not only the ones accessible from the keyboard.

Microsoft Windows character map

Create Smart Quotes on Mac

To manually insert smart quotes, type the following keys simultaneously:

  • Type Option+] for the left (open) and Shift+Option+] for the right (closed) single quote mark or apostrophe, respectively.
  • Type Option+[ for the left and Shift+Option+[ for the right curved double quotation marks, respectively.

Add Smart Quotes to Web Pages

Web typography works a little differently. Smart quotes do not always work well on the web, so most sites use straight quotes.

However, if you want to add curly quotes to HTML code, do the following:

  • For the curly single opening and closing quote mark (or apostrophe), use ‘ and ’ respectively.
  • For the curly opening and closing double quotation marks, use “ and ” respectively.

Oversized curly quotes add interest to pull-quotes in articles or general information pages.

Quick Reference Chart of Keyboard Shortcuts

Mark Description Windows Mac HTML
‘ Opening single apostrophe alt+0145 option+] ‘
’ Closing single apostrophe alt+0146 option+shift+] ’
“ Opening double quote alt+0147 option+[ “
” Closing double quote alt+0148 option+shift+[ ”

Why Curly Quotes and Apostrophes?

To present a professional appearance in print or to meet the style guidelines of a client, use proper typographer quotation marks and apostrophes in your desktop publishing documents. These quotation and apostrophe marks are curled left and right, unlike the straight single and double quote marks on a keyboard's apostrophe key.

More About the Straight Apostrophe

Straight quotes come from the type­writer. In print­ing and typesetting, all quota­tion marks were curly, but type­writer char­ac­ter sets were lim­ited by mechan­i­cal constraints and phys­i­cal space. By re­plac­ing the curly open­ing and clos­ing quotes with am­bidex­trous straight quotes, two slots be­came avail­able for other characters.

The straight marks on the apostrophe key are also called primes. You can use the single straight mark for feet and minutes and the double mark for inches and seconds, as in 1'6" for 1 foot, 6 inches, or 30'15" for 30 minutes, 15 seconds.

FAQ
  • How do I type a Unicode character?

    To type a Unicode character, enter the character code, press ALT, and then hold down X. For example, type 00b0 (character code) for a degree sign, or type 0024 for a dollar sign.

  • How do I change straight quotes to curly quotes in Word?

    To change the appearance of quotes in Word, go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options. Choose AutoFormat As You Type. In the Replace As You Type section, select or clear the Straight quotes with smart quotes checkbox to turn smart quotes on or off.

  • How do I use quotation marks in a search engine?

    When you use quotation marks in a search engine, you'll find more specific results. For example, if you want to search for John Joseph Smith, type in "John Joseph Smith" with quotations; your results will include all three parts of the name, back to back. You can also use quotation marks to specify dates, such as "Los Angeles 1991."

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