How to Type Fractions
Unicode has single-character fractions for halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, sixths, eighths and a few more. Only ½, ¼ and ¾ have classic Alt codes; the rest need Unicode input or a picker.
Last reviewed on October 3, 2026.
Quick Reference
Windows
Hold Alt and type on the numeric keypad: 0189 → ½, 0188 → ¼, 0190 → ¾.
Alt + 0189 → ½
Microsoft Word
Typing 1/2, 1/4 or 3/4 followed by a space converts automatically (AutoFormat As You Type → "Fractions with fraction character"). For ⅓, type 2153 then Alt + X.
1/2 + Space → ½
Mac
No default Option shortcut. Press Control + Command + Space and search "fraction". Option + Shift + 1 types the fraction slash ⁄.
Control + Command + Space → "fraction"
Linux
With a Compose key: Compose 1 2 → ½, Compose 1 4 → ¼, Compose 3 4 → ¾. Others: Ctrl + Shift + U and the hex code.
Compose 1 2 → ½
HTML
Named entities exist for the common fractions: ½, ¼, ¾, ⅓, ⅛ and more.
½ ¼ ¾
All Unicode Fraction Characters
| Char | Value | Unicode | HTML | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ½ | one half | U+00BD | ½ | Alt + 0189 |
| ¼ | one quarter | U+00BC | ¼ | Alt + 0188 |
| ¾ | three quarters | U+00BE | ¾ | Alt + 0190 |
| ⅓ | one third | U+2153 | ⅓ | Word: 2153 Alt+X |
| ⅔ | two thirds | U+2154 | ⅔ | Word: 2154 Alt+X |
| ⅕ | one fifth | U+2155 | ⅕ | Word: 2155 Alt+X |
| ⅖ | two fifths | U+2156 | ⅖ | Word: 2156 Alt+X |
| ⅗ | three fifths | U+2157 | ⅗ | Word: 2157 Alt+X |
| ⅘ | four fifths | U+2158 | ⅘ | Word: 2158 Alt+X |
| ⅙ | one sixth | U+2159 | ⅙ | Word: 2159 Alt+X |
| ⅚ | five sixths | U+215A | ⅚ | Word: 215A Alt+X |
| ⅐ | one seventh | U+2150 | ⅐ | Word: 2150 Alt+X |
| ⅛ | one eighth | U+215B | ⅛ | Word: 215B Alt+X |
| ⅜ | three eighths | U+215C | ⅜ | Word: 215C Alt+X |
| ⅝ | five eighths | U+215D | ⅝ | Word: 215D Alt+X |
| ⅞ | seven eighths | U+215E | ⅞ | Word: 215E Alt+X |
| ⅑ | one ninth | U+2151 | ⅑ | Word: 2151 Alt+X |
| ⅒ | one tenth | U+2152 | ⅒ | Word: 2152 Alt+X |
Fractions Without a Ready-made Character
For a fraction that has no precomposed character (say 5/16), combine superscript digits, the fraction slash ⁄ (U+2044) and subscript digits: ⁵⁄₁₆. Most fonts render it as a compact fraction. In HTML you can also write <sup>5</sup>⁄<sub>16</sub>.
In Word and Google Docs, the equation editor stacks any fraction: type 5/16 inside an equation and press Space.
Gotchas
- Excel turns 1/2 into a date. Type
0 1/2(zero, space, 1/2) to enter 0.5 displayed as a fraction, or format the cells as Fraction first. Use=UNICHAR(189)for the ½ character as text. - Searchability: ½ is one character, so a search for "1/2" won't find it. In recipes and data that people will search or copy into calculators, plain
1/2can be the more practical choice. - Screen readers generally read ½ as "one half", which is a point in favour of the real character in body text.
Technical Details
Unicode block: Number Forms (U+2150–U+218F); ½ ¼ ¾ are in Latin-1 Supplement
Fraction slash: U+2044 (⁄)
Alt codes: ½ 0189 · ¼ 0188 · ¾ 0190
Name (½): VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF