What are HTML entities?

HTML entities represent special characters in HTML source code. For example, < must be written as < so the browser doesn't interpret it as an HTML tag.

When do I need to HTML-encode strings?

Always encode user-provided strings before inserting them into HTML to prevent XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks. This is critical for web security.

What is the difference between named and numeric entities?

Named entities use readable names (&). Numeric entities use Unicode code points (& decimal or & hex). Both render identically in browsers.

HTML Entity Encoder / Decoder

Convert special characters to HTML entities (<, >, &) and back. Essential for preventing XSS.

HTML / Plain text input

Output

Common HTML Entities Reference

Character	Named Entity	Numeric	Description
<	<	<	Less-than
>	>	>	Greater-than
&	&	&	Ampersand
"	"	"	Double quote
'	'	'	Single quote
			Non-breaking space
©	©	©	Copyright
®	®	®	Registered trademark
™	™	™	Trademark
€	€	€	Euro sign
£	£	£	Pound sign
—	—	—	Em dash
…	…	…	Ellipsis