How to insert the Reversed Question Mark / Irony ⸮ into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac.
Reversed Question Mark / Irony ⸮ symbol has been proposed to denote irony or sarcasm within text. Or for rhetorical questions. It’s never really caught on.
The proper name for ⸮ is a Percontation point but most people say Reversed Question Mark.
Not to be confused with the Inverted or Spanish ¿ question mark.
How Reversed Question Mark / Irony ⸮ looks in different fonts.
Here’s some examples of how Reversed Question Mark / Irony ⸮ looks in common Office fonts.
Reversed Question Mark / Irony ⸮ codes
These are the important code numbers or values you’ll need to enter the Reversed Question Mark / Irony or ⸮
Decimal: 11822 Hex: 2E2E
Web:⸮or⸮
(web codes aren’t used in Microsoft Office, we’ve included them for the sake of completeness.)
Arabic Question Mark
There is also an ‘Arabic Question Mark’ (Unicode 061F) which is similar but usually raised higher.
Word and Outlook
The Reversed Question Mark / Irony ⸮ sign does NOT have an inbuilt shortcut in Word.
Use the standard Word Alt + X symbol shortcut 2E2E then Alt + X
Once in a document you can copy it to AutoCorrect and make your own shortcut.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Insert | Symbols | Symbol and look for the Reversed Question Mark / Irony symbol.
Windows
In Windows there are several shortcuts to enter the Reversed Question Mark / Irony ⸮ character into any program, but they use a numeric keypad, not the number row above the letters.
Alt + 11822
Windows Character Map
The Windows Character Map accessory in all Windows releases.
Character Map has a search feature, something missing from the Insert | Symbol in Office. In Character Map, the symbol is described as Reversed Question Mark. It’s not in all fonts.
MacOS and Office for Mac inserting characters
On a Mac, to enter the Reversed Question Mark / Irony ⸮ symbol:
- Command + Control + Spacebar shortcut to open the Character Viewer.
Search for “ Reversed Question Mark“ or just “Question”and the Viewer should find the symbol you need.
Despite the name Character Viewer, the Apple system tool will also insert characters into any program, including Office for Mac.
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