British Pound Symbol (£)
The British Pound Sterling (£) is the official currency of the United Kingdom and British Crown Dependencies. Represented by the Latin-1 character U+00A3, it is the fourth most traded currency in global foreign exchange markets and the oldest national currency still in continuous active use.
Typographic & Developer Encoding Codes
Quickly copy HTML entities, CSS content escape sequences, and Unicode code points for British Pound.
| Format | Value / Code | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Symbol | £ | Standard plain text character or abbreviation | |
| Unicode Code Point | U+00A3 | POUND SIGN (Latin-1 Supplement) | |
| Windows Input / Alt Code | Alt + 0163 | Keyboard shortcut for Windows PC | |
| HTML Named / Decimal Entity | £ | HTML5 named character entity | |
| HTML Hex Entity | £ | Hexadecimal HTML character reference | |
| CSS Escape Code | \00A3 | For CSS ::before or ::after pseudo-elements |
How to Type British Pound Symbol (£) on Any Device
Windows PC
Hold the Alt key and type 0163 on the numeric keypad.
Mac / macOS
Press Option + 3 on your macOS keyboard.
iPhone & iPad (iOS)
Tap 123, long-press $ and select £
Android (Gboard)
Tap ?123, long-press $ and select £
Formatting Rules & Real-World Examples
Symbol Placement: Before Amount
In standard financial notation, the British Pound symbol is positioned immediately before the numerical amount.
Typography & International Usage Guidelines
The pound sign is positioned immediately before the numeric value without a space (£50.00). Subdivisions under 1 pound are written with a lowercase 'p' following the amount (50p). Note that Gibraltar (GIP), Falkland Islands (FKP), Saint Helena (SHP), Jersey (JEP), Guernsey (GGP), and Isle of Man (IMP) issue their own distinct local pounds pegged 1:1 to sterling.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding an extra space between the pound sign and amount (writing £ 50 instead of £50).
- Confusing the British Pound (£) with the historic Italian Lira sign (₤, U+20A4) which commonly featured two crossbars.
- Assuming Scottish or Northern Irish banknotes are separate currencies (they are legal currency denominated in GBP sterling).
Historical Background & Monetary Evolution
The origins of the pound sterling date back to approximately 775 AD during the Anglo-Saxon period under King Offa of Mercia, who introduced silver pennies minted to a standard where 240 pennies weighed exactly one Tower pound of sterling silver. The symbol '£' derives directly from the Latin word 'libra', meaning scales or balance, which was the Roman unit of weight (libra pondo). The capital letter 'L' was written in blackletter cursive script with one or two horizontal crossbars to denote an abbreviation for money. The UK decimalized on February 15, 1971 ('Decimal Day'), subdividing the pound into 100 new pence instead of the historic 20 shillings and 240 pence.
Countries & Jurisdictions Using £
Related Tools & Guides for British Pound
ISO 4217 Lookup
Search standard three-letter currency codes and ISO country pairings.
ToolCurrency Formatter
Calculate before/after position styles and international decimal notations.
GuideMac Option Key Shortcuts
How to configure and type international financial marks quickly on macOS.
GuideGoogle Docs & Sheets Guide
Insert special characters and configure currency formats in spreadsheets.
GuideiPhone & iPad Shortcuts
Quick long-press keyboard shortcuts on iOS to type monetary symbols.
SpecsUnicode Technical Standards
Master technical index for U+20A0–U+20CF blocks, HTML entities & CSS codes.
Similar & Related Currency Symbols
View all Pound Currencies (£) →Standards Verification & Official Registry Specifications
This specification has been verified against official international standards registries (ISO 4217 Maintenance Agency, Unicode Consortium 16.0, and Unicode CLDR).
Frequently Asked Questions about British Pound (£)
Common questions and direct answers regarding currency symbols, typing shortcuts, and international formatting.
What is the difference between the pound sign (£) and the Italian lira sign (₤)?
The British pound sign (£, U+00A3) is historically written with a single crossbar in the UK. The Italian lira sign (₤, U+20A4) was traditionally written with two crossbars, though both derive from the Latin 'libra'.
Are Gibraltar, Falkland, and Jersey pounds the same currency as GBP?
They are separate local currency issues pegged at a strict 1:1 ratio with GBP. Gibraltar (GIP), Falkland Islands (FKP), and Saint Helena (SHP) have distinct ISO 4217 codes, whereas Jersey, Guernsey, and Isle of Man banknotes use GBP as their official ISO standard code.
How do I type the pound sign (£) on a Mac?
Press Option + 3 on any standard macOS keyboard configured with US English layout. On UK keyboards, Shift + 3 types £ directly.