html entity

Encode and decode HTML entities for safe display in web pages with multiple encoding modes.

Overview

html-entity is a browser-based HTML entity encoder and decoder. Type in either the Decoded Text or HTML Entities panel and the other updates instantly. No server involved — everything runs in your browser using JavaScript character mapping and entity tables.

Encoding

Type or paste any text into the Decoded Text panel. The HTML Entities panel updates on every keystroke with the encoded output based on the selected encoding mode.

Encoding Modes

Special (& < > " ') Default mode. Only encodes essential HTML special characters:

  • & → &amp;
  • < → &lt;
  • > → &gt;
  • " → &quot;
  • ' → &apos;

This is the most common mode for safely escaping user input in HTML contexts.

Non-ASCII Only Encodes only characters outside the ASCII range (0-127), leaving standard English characters unchanged. Non-ASCII characters are encoded to either named entities (e.g. é → &eacute;) or numeric entities (e.g. ⚡ → &#9889;) depending on availability.

All Characters Encodes all special HTML characters plus all non-ASCII characters. This provides maximum compatibility for systems that require full entity encoding.

Decoding

Type or paste HTML entities into the HTML Entities panel. The Decoded Text panel updates on every keystroke with the decoded output.

The decoder supports:

  • Named entities — &amp;, &lt;, &eacute;, &copy;, etc.
  • Decimal numeric entities — &#38;, &#233;, &#169;
  • Hexadecimal numeric entities — &#x26;, &#xe9;, &#xa9;

If the input contains an unrecognized entity, it remains unchanged rather than causing errors.

Entity Support

This tool includes comprehensive HTML5 named entity support, covering:

  • Basic HTML entities (&amp;, &lt;, &gt;, &quot;, &apos;)
  • Latin characters with diacritics (&agrave;, &eacute;, &ntilde;)
  • Currency symbols (&euro;, &pound;, &yen;)
  • Mathematical symbols (&plusmn;, &times;, &divide;, &infin;)
  • Greek letters and mathematical operators (&alpha;, &sum;, &int;)
  • Arrows and special characters (&larr;, &copy;, &trade;)
  • And many more (2000+ entities supported)

The URL updates live as you type — no button required. Two query parameters are used:

  • value — the raw decoded text
  • mode — the encoding mode: special (default), ascii, or all

Share or bookmark the URL to return to the same content. Both panels and the selected mode are restored on load.

/html-entity?value=Hello <world>

Encodes to Hello &lt;world&gt; in special mode.

/html-entity?value=Café résumé&mode=ascii

Opens with non-ASCII mode active, encoding accented characters.

Use the Copy button in the Permalink row to copy the current URL to your clipboard.

Use the Reset button to clear both panels, reset to special mode, and return the URL to the bare /html-entity path.

Common Use Cases

  • Escaping user input for safe HTML display
  • Converting special characters in XML or XHTML documents
  • Decoding entities from legacy HTML or email sources
  • Testing entity support in different browsers or systems
  • Learning what characters map to which entities

See also

  • ASCII Table — all 128 ASCII characters with decimal, hex, octal, and descriptions