Learn English – What’s the name of the character `*`

word-choice

We can see the character or symbol * on web pages or in code.

What's its name?

  1. From my dictionary, it is called the asterisk.
  2. But in the documentation page of fishshell dot com, it is called the star or star character.

So which one is correct and what's the difference between them? When you see *, what's the first word that appears in your mind?

Best Answer

Either term is acceptable.

I generally call it by its formal name, asterisk. But 'star character' is becoming common; we speak of starring a passage when we put an asterisk in the margin; and in fact the name asterisk is, etymologically, little star, from Greek via Latin.

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