Checkmarks & Crosses Symbols

About Checkmarks & Crosses

Last reviewed on May 7, 2026

Checkmark and cross characters are some of the most-used non-keyboard symbols in everyday writing. They show up in to-do lists, status columns of spreadsheets, comparison tables, voting summaries, and any context where the message is “yes / no” or “done / not done.”

The four basic forms

• Check mark (✓, U+2713) — the thin tick. Renders in body weight in most fonts.
• Heavy check mark (✔, U+2714) — the bold tick. Use when the check needs to read at a glance.
• Ballot x (✗, U+2717) — the thin cross used as the visual opposite of the thin check.
• Heavy ballot x (✘, U+2718) — the bold cross paired with the heavy check.

Pair check and cross at the same weight. A thin check next to a heavy cross looks asymmetric and reads as “mild yes, strong no.” Either thin/thin or heavy/heavy is the safer choice.

Ballot boxes

The empty ballot box (☐), the box with check (☑), and the box with x (☒) form a trio that fits well in plain-text checklists. They are the right pick when you want a visible “to do” state alongside “done” and “cancelled.”

The multiplication x

The heavy multiplication x (✖) is shaped like the heavy ballot x but encoded for math contexts. Visually they are nearly indistinguishable. When the surrounding text is mathematical, prefer the multiplication sign (×) to either; when the surrounding text is a status column, use the ballot x.

Color emoji versions

The white heavy check mark (✅) and the cross mark (❌) are emoji and render in green and red respectively on platforms with color emoji fonts. The negative-squared cross (❎) and the heavy large circle (⭕) are similar emoji-presentation indicators. Use these when you want the color signal — they're particularly readable in chat — and the plain check/cross when you want a glyph that matches the color and weight of the surrounding text.

Accessibility

Screen readers announce these characters by their Unicode names: “check mark,” “heavy check mark,” “cross mark.” That is usually fine inside running text. In tables where the check or cross carries the status, add a hidden text equivalent or use ARIA labels — sighted users see the icon, screen-reader users hear “yes” or “no.”

Common pitfalls

The lowercase letter v and the lowercase letter x are sometimes used as substitutes when a real check is unavailable. They work in a pinch but reduce the contrast that makes the real symbols readable at a glance. The plus sign and the multiplication sign are different from the cross; using a plus where a cross is expected reads as “add” rather than “reject.”

Checkmarks pair naturally with geometric shapes for status dots and with special punctuation for footnote and section markers.