Bracket Symbol Names, Copy and Paste and How to Type

Brackets Symbol Names: Parentheses, Square, Curly and Angle

Different people use different names for the same bracket, which causes confusion in class. This table puts all the common names together.

The words "first, second, third bracket" and "small, big bracket" are school names used in parts of India and Bangladesh; they are not used the same way everywhere. In exams and office writing, the safest names are parentheses, square brackets and curly brackets. So the parentheses symbol and the small bracket symbol are the same ( ), and the braces symbol and the flower bracket symbol are the same { }. The flower name comes from the curly shape. The angle bracket symbol ⟨ ⟩ has no key and no common school name.

Brackets in Maths: BODMAS Order

In BODMAS, the B stands for brackets: solve what is inside brackets before anything else. When brackets sit inside other brackets, always start with the innermost round brackets ( ) and work outward.

Many Indian textbooks write the outer layers as [ { ( ) } ], with square brackets outermost. Many other books write { [ ( ) ] }, with curly brackets outermost. The rule is the same in both: inside first. Follow the style your textbook uses.

Worked example: 50 − [ 4 × { 6 + ( 9 − 5 ) } ]

1. Round brackets: 9 − 5 = 4, so we get 50 − [ 4 × { 6 + 4 } ]
2. Curly brackets: 6 + 4 = 10, so we get 50 − [ 4 × 10 ]
3. Square brackets: 4 × 10 = 40
4. Finally: 50 − 40 = 10

A bar drawn over numbers (the vinculum) is solved even before round brackets in Indian textbooks. For other maths signs, see our math symbols page.

How to Type Each Bracket Symbol

• Word: type the code then press Alt+X. For example 27E8 gives ⟨, 27E9 gives ⟩, 3010 gives 【 and 3011 gives 】. Word's Equation tool (Insert > Equation) also has tall brackets that stretch over fractions.
• Google Docs: Insert > Special characters, then search "bracket".
• Android: on most Android keyboards ( ) are on the ?123 page, and [ ] { } < > are on the =\< page.
• iPhone: tap 123 for ( ), then #+= for [ ] and { }.

Alt codes need the number pad with Num Lock on.

Brackets in Writing and Coding

• Parentheses in sentences: extra details that the sentence can live without. The Taj Mahal (in Agra) attracts lakhs of visitors. Put the full stop outside the bracket unless the whole sentence is inside.
• Square brackets in quotes: words you add to someone else's quote. "She [the principal] announced a holiday."
• Curly brackets: sets in maths, such as A = {1, 2, 3}, and blocks of code in languages like C and Java.
• Angle brackets: ⟨ ⟩ are used in maths and physics. Do not confuse them with the < and > signs on your keyboard, which are covered on the less than symbol and greater than symbol pages.
• Stylish brackets for names: 【ProGamer】, 『Riya』, 《Team Alpha》. These come from Chinese and Japanese writing and look neat in game names. See more ideas on our Free Fire symbols and cool symbols pages.

Common Bracket Mistakes

• Forgetting to close a bracket. Every open bracket symbol needs its closed bracket symbol.
• Mixing pairs, like ( ]. Always close with the matching shape.
• Adding a space inside: write (in Agra), not ( in Agra ).
• Using brackets for every small detail. If the extra words matter, write them in the sentence or use commas.

For the full family of marks, visit our punctuation marks guide, or look up any key name on symbol names.