Check mark

"✓" redirects here. For the similar symbol √, see Square root.
✓
Check mark
✔ ☑ ✅
heavy check mark ballot box with check white heavy check mark

A check mark, checkmark or tick is a mark (✓, ✔, etc.) used (primarily in the English speaking world) to indicate the concept “yes” (e.g. “yes; this has been verified”, “yes; that is the correct answer”, “yes; this has been completed”, or “yes; this [item or option] applies to me”). The x mark is also sometimes used for this use (most notably on election ballot papers), but otherwise usually indicates “no”, incorrectness, or failure.

As a verb, to check (off) or tick (off), means to add such a mark. Printed forms, printed documents, and computer software (see checkbox), commonly include squares in which to place check marks.

International differences

The check mark is a predominant affirmative symbol of convenience in the English-speaking world because of its instant and facile composition. In other countries, however, the mark is more complicated.

It is common in Swedish schools for a ✓ to indicate that an answer is incorrect, while "R", from the Swedish rätt, i.e., "correct", is used to indicate that an answer is correct.

In Finnish, ✓ stands for väärin, i.e., "wrong", due to its similarity to a slanted v. The opposite, "right", is marked with , a slanted vertical line emphasized with two dots.

In Korea and Japan, the O mark is used instead of the check mark, and the check mark is commonly used instead of an X for wrong.

Unicode

The "Symbol, Other" category of Unicode provides various check marks:

† In Microsoft Office via ALT Number pad method, Alt+9989, Alt+10004, and Alt+10003.

History

The check mark is believed to have been created during the Roman Empire. "V" was used to shorten the word "veritas", meaning 'true'. This was used to indicate yes, true, or confirmed on items in a list. Over time, its design started to change. When people started attempting to speed-write, the right side became elongated. Whilst, the left side was similarly affected by ink pens of the time, in which the ink would not start flowing immediately when writing quickly resulting in the check mark we know today.

See also

References

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