Latin Small Letter Long S Letter
ſ (Latin Small Letter Long S) is a Unicode character used in historical-style lowercase spelling.
U+017F
The character ſ is called the Latin Small Letter Long S. It is encoded in Unicode as U+017F and can be copied or inserted using standard web and programming escapes. It’s mainly used to represent an older spelling style in text.
Latin Small Letter Long S Letter Meaning
Latin Small Letter Long S (ſ) is a historical form of the lowercase letter S. In many older Latin and early modern texts, the “long s” was used in place of the regular lowercase s in specific positions within words (commonly earlier in a word, while the regular s appeared in other positions). Today, ſ is most often used for typographic effects, recreating historical documents, and styling text to evoke classic or early printing conventions. In Unicode, it is treated as its own character, so fonts may need to support it for correct rendering.
Common uses
- •Typography and graphic design to mimic early printing styles
- •Re-creating historical manuscripts or documents in digital publishing
- •Decorative branding or headings that need a vintage look
- •Scholarly text formatting where long-s spelling conventions are required
- •CSS/HTML text styling to insert the exact character in web pages
Examples
ſ — Latin Small Letter Long S
- ſMaſterſ
- ſThe ſtate
- ſwiſdom
- ſconſider
- ſſubſcribe
Variations
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+017F | |
| HTML Entity | ſ | |
| HTML Code | ſ | |
| CSS | \017F | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 383 | |
| Decimal | 383 |
How to type Latin Small Letter Long S Letter (ſ)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 383 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 017F then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 017F. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 017f, then press Enter or Space.
Anywhere
Copy ſ with the button above and paste it wherever you need it — this works on every device and in every app, with no keyboard shortcut to remember.
FAQ
What does the Latin Small Letter Long S letter mean?
Latin Small Letter Long S (ſ) is a historical form of the lowercase letter S. In many older Latin and early modern texts, the “long s” was used in place of the regular lowercase s in specific positions within words (commonly earlier in a word, while the regular s appeared in other positions). Today, ſ is most often used for typographic effects, recreating historical documents, and styling text to evoke classic or early printing conventions. In Unicode, it is treated as its own character, so fonts may need to support it for correct rendering.
What Unicode character is ſ?
ſ is the Unicode character LATIN SMALL LETTER LONG S with code point U+017F.
How do I insert ſ in HTML?
You can use the HTML entity ſ or paste the character directly.
How do I use ſ in CSS?
Use the CSS escape \\017F to insert the character in generated content or styles.
Why does ſ sometimes show up as a box or different letter?
It depends on font support. Ensure your font or fallback stack includes a font that supports U+017F.