# Caret

A caret is a wedge-shaped mark, shaped like an inverted V, used to show where something is to be inserted; the word also names the flashing on-screen indicator that marks the text insertion point in editors, and, by extension, the keyboard character ^ itself<sup>[1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caret)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Caret)</sup>. The three senses share a shape and a name but play different roles in proofreading, computing, and mathematics.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Proofreading mark | A wedge-shaped mark (‸) made on written or printed matter to indicate where something is to be inserted<sup>[1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caret)</sup> |
| Etymology | From Latin *caret*, "there is lacking", third person singular of *carēre*, "to lack"; first recorded use in English in the 1680s<sup>[3](https://www.etymonline.com/word/caret)</sup> |
| Screen caret | The indicator showing where text input will be inserted, also called a text cursor, distinct from the mouse cursor<sup>[2](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Caret)</sup> |
| Keyboard character | ^ is U+005E CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT, widely called the caret in computing; Unicode also encodes a separate CARET (U+2038) and CARET INSERTION POINT (U+2041)<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup> |
| Typing | Shift+6 on US and UK keyboard layouts; Alt+94 on the numeric keypad<sup>[5](https://typeanykey.com/guides/caret)</sup> |
| Exponentiation | In TeX, the Wolfram Language, and many other computer languages, powers are written with a caret, as in `b^e`; FORTRAN instead uses `b**e`<sup>[6](https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Caret.html)</sup> |

## The proofreading mark

In traditional editing, the caret is placed in written or printed text to show the point at which omitted material should be inserted<sup>[1](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caret)</sup>. The word entered English in the 1680s from Latin *caret*, "there is lacking", from *carēre*, "to lack"<sup>[3](https://www.etymonline.com/word/caret)</sup>. A 19th-century composition manual describes it as a mark resembling an inverted v, placed under the line in manuscripts to show that something has been accidentally omitted, and notes that it is not used in printed books<sup>[7](https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/gdc/gdcscd/00/03/15/51/83/3/00031551833/00031551833.pdf)</sup>.

Unicode preserves this editorial role in dedicated characters: U+2038 CARET (‸), a precision editing mark drawn as a short inverted V at the baseline, and U+2041 CARET INSERTION POINT (⁁), which Unicode identifies explicitly as a proofreader's mark meaning "insert here"<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.unicodecharacter.org/u%2B2038)</sup>.

## The text cursor

In user interfaces, a caret (sometimes called a text cursor) is an indicator displayed on screen to show where text input will be inserted. Most interfaces render it as a thin vertical line or a character-sized box that flashes, though the presentation varies; the position it marks is called the insertion point. The word caret distinguishes this text insertion point from the mouse cursor<sup>[2](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Caret)</sup>.

On the web, the caret appears in `<input>` and `<textarea>` elements and in any element whose `contenteditable` attribute is set. Its color can be styled with the CSS `caret-color` property<sup>[2](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Caret)</sup>.

## The keyboard character ^

The character typed with Shift+6 is formally named CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT in Unicode, at code point U+005E, but it is widely called a caret in computing<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://typeanykey.com/guides/caret)</sup>. Unicode's confusables table groups it with U+02C6, MODIFIER LETTER CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT, because the two render close enough to be mistaken for each other even though software treats them as separate characters<sup>[5](https://typeanykey.com/guides/caret)</sup>.

**Uses in computing.** In TeX, the [Wolfram Language](https://www.edgepedia.org/wolfram-language), and many other computer languages, the caret denotes exponentiation, so `b^e` means b raised to the power e; FORTRAN is a notable exception, writing the same operation as `b**e`<sup>[6](https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Caret.html)</sup>. In some programming contexts the character also stands for the [Control key](https://www.edgepedia.org/control-key) in written instructions: reading ^Y means press the Control key, then the Y key<sup>[9](https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/8873841/caret)</sup>.

**Uses in mathematics and logic.** In symbolic logic the symbol denotes partial conjunction, and in several other mathematical contexts it is called a wedge<sup>[6](https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Caret.html)</sup>. Placed over a variable as a hat, it gives the variable special meaning; in statistics, a caret over a letter marks an estimate computed from a sample, as in p̂ ("p-hat") for a sample proportion, distinguished from the true population value p<sup>[10](https://scienceinsights.org/what-does-the-p-with-a-cone-mean-in-statistics/)</sup>.

## Caret and circumflex

The circumflex accent, the diacritic placed over vowels, takes the same roof-like shape. In French it serves to indicate the pronunciation of certain vowels (as in *être*, *pâte*), to distinguish homonyms (as in *du*/*dû*), or to recall an etymological feature, as in *bête*, where the accent replaces an old s<sup>[9](https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/8873841/caret)</sup>.

Several distinct Unicode characters share the shape, and confusing them affects search, text normalization, and string comparison<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup>:

- ^ (U+005E, CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT), the ASCII keyboard character used in technical syntax and plain-text exponent notation<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup>;
- ˆ (U+02C6, MODIFIER LETTER CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT), a spacing modifier used in phonetic and linguistic notation<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup>;
- ◌̂ (U+0302, COMBINING CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT), a diacritic attached to a preceding character<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup>;
- ‸ (U+2038, CARET), the proofreading mark as a standalone character<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup>;
- ⁁ (U+2041, CARET INSERTION POINT), the proofreader's "insert here" mark<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup>;
- ∧ (U+2227, LOGICAL AND), the mathematical wedge operator<sup>[4](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)</sup>.

## References

1. [Caret, Merriam-Webster Dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caret)
2. [Caret, MDN Web Docs Glossary](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Caret)
3. [Caret, Online Etymology Dictionary](https://www.etymonline.com/word/caret)
4. [Caret ^ vs Circumflex ˆ vs Combining Circumflex ◌̂, What Is This Symbol](https://whatisthissymbol.com/symbol-comparisons/caret-vs-circumflex-accent/)
5. [Caret (^): Which Key, and What It Is Called, TypeAnyKey](https://typeanykey.com/guides/caret)
6. [Caret, Wolfram MathWorld](https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Caret.html)
7. [Aids to English Composition, Library of Congress](https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/gdc/gdcscd/00/03/15/51/83/3/00031551833/00031551833.pdf)
8. [U+2038 Caret Unicode Character](https://www.unicodecharacter.org/u%2B2038)
9. [caret, Grand Dictionnaire Terminologique, Office québécois de la langue française](https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/8873841/caret)
10. [What Does the P with a Cone Mean in Statistics?, ScienceInsights](https://scienceinsights.org/what-does-the-p-with-a-cone-mean-in-statistics/)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Languages and linguistics › Writing and notation systems › Punctuation and orthographic marks*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license