Exclamation mark#English

Graphically, the exclamation mark is represented by variations on the theme of a period with a vertical line above. One theory of its origin posits derivation from a Latin exclamation of joy, namely {{lang|la|io}}, analogous to "hooray"; copyists wrote the Latin word {{lang|la|io}} at the end of a sentence, to indicate expression of joy. Over time, the i moved above the o; that o first became smaller, and (with time) a dot.{{cite book |last=Partridge |first=Eric |date=1953 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lN-KAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 |title=You Have a Point There |page=82 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-203-37992-6 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425171540/https://books.google.com/books?id=lN-KAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 |url-status=live }}

Its evolution as a punctuation symbol after the Ancient Era can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when scribes would often add various marks and symbols to manuscripts to indicate changes in tone, pauses, or emphasis.{{Cite news |last=Jensen |first=Priscilla M. |title='An Admirable Point' Review: Exclaim Yourself! |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=6 April 2023 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-admirable-point-review-exclaim-yourself-ade02c56 |access-date=2023-04-13 |archive-date=2023-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412191910/https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-admirable-point-review-exclaim-yourself-ade02c56 |url-status=live }} These symbols included the punctus admirativus,{{Cite web |title=The exclamation point — "a sign of failure" |url=https://carsonparkdesign.com/exclamation-points/ |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=carsonparkdesign.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221402/https://carsonparkdesign.com/exclamation-points/ |url-status=live }} a symbol that was similar in shape to the modern exclamation mark and was used to indicate admiration, surprise, or other strong emotions.{{Cite journal |last=Weiskott |first=Eric |date=2012 |title=Making Beowulf Scream: Exclamation and the Punctuation of Old English Poetry |jstor=10.5406/jenglgermphil.111.1.0025 |journal=The Journal of English and Germanic Philology |volume=111 |issue=1 |pages=25–41 |doi=10.5406/jenglgermphil.111.1.0025 |s2cid=163108784 |issn=0363-6941}} The modern use of the exclamation mark was supposedly first described in the 14th century by Italian scholar Alpoleio da Urbisaglia.{{Cite web |last=Silla |first=Mirko |date=2021-12-03 |title=Iacopo Alpoleio, l'urbisalviense che inventò il punto esclamativo |url=https://junior.cronachemaceratesi.it/2021/12/03/alpoleio-lurbisalviense-che-invento-il-punto-esclamativo/63322/ |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=CM Junior |language=it-IT |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221402/https://junior.cronachemaceratesi.it/2021/12/03/alpoleio-lurbisalviense-che-invento-il-punto-esclamativo/63322/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |type=Review |title=An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark! |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781567927870 |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=Publishers Weekly |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221402/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781567927870 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - Word of Mouth, Exclamation Marks!! - Exclamation Marks!! Why do we love to hate them? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3QcsHvWyxYtlkcqdM71lbV3/exclamation-marks-why-do-we-love-to-hate-them |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=BBC |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413222902/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3QcsHvWyxYtlkcqdM71lbV3/exclamation-marks-why-do-we-love-to-hate-them |url-status=live }} According to 21st-century literary scholar Florence Hazrat,{{Cite news |last=Hazrat |first=Florence |date=2022-11-17 |title=I'm spontaneous! I'm sincere! I'm infantile and deeply annoying! How the exclamation mark divided the world |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/17/im-spontaneous-im-sincere-im-infantile-and-deeply-annoying-how-the-exclamation-mark-divided-the-world |access-date=2023-04-13 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221359/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/17/im-spontaneous-im-sincere-im-infantile-and-deeply-annoying-how-the-exclamation-mark-divided-the-world |url-status=live }} da Urbisaglia "felt very annoyed" that people were reading script with a flat tone, even when written to elicit emotions. The exclamation mark was introduced into English printing during this time to show emphasis.{{cite book |last=Truss |first=Lynne |year=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ubcEuLPLzG4C&pg=PA137 |title=Eats, Shoots & Leaves: the zero tolerance approach to punctuation |publisher=Gotham Books |location=New York |page=137 |isbn=1-59240-087-6 |access-date=2022-09-06 |archive-date=2022-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018003052/https://books.google.com/books?id=ubcEuLPLzG4C&pg=PA137 |url-status=live }} It was later called by many names, including point of admiration (1611),{{cite book |last1=Cotgrave |first1=Randle |title=A dictionarie of the French and English tongues. |date=1611 |publisher=Printed by A. Islip |page=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435017716812?urlappend=%3Bseq=26%3Bownerid=13510798903251341-30 26] |hdl=2027/osu.32435017716812 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435017716812 |quote=Admiratif, Th'admirative point, or point of admiration (and of detestation) marked, or made, thus !}}{{efn|"admiration" referred to its Latin-language sense, of wonderment.{{r|truss}}}} note of exclamation or admiration (1657),{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=John |title=The mysterie of rhetorique unvail'd, wherein above 130 of the tropes and figures are severally derived from the Greek into English, together with lively definitions and variety of Latin, English, Scriptural, examples, pertinent to each of them apart ... |date=1657 |publisher=Printed by E. Cotes for George Eversden |location=London |page=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435004505780?urlappend=%3Bseq=286%3Bownerid=13510798904159051-290 259] |hdl=2027/osu.32435004505780 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435004505780}} sign of admiration or exclamation,{{cite book |title= The American Printer: A Manual of Typography, Containing Practical Directions for Managing all Departments of a Printing Office, As Well as Complete Instructions for Apprentices: With Several Useful Tables, Numerous Schemes for Imposing Forms in Every Variety, Hints to Authors, Etc.|edition= Fifteenth - Revised and Enlarged|last= MacKellar|first= Thomas|year= 1885 |publisher= MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan |location= Philadelphia |page=51|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T-0YAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA51}} exclamation point (1824),{{cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Lindley |title=English grammar |date=1824 |publisher=J.B. Baldwin |location=Bridgeport, Conn. |page=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044097056824?urlappend=%3Bseq=243%3Bownerid=27021597764263980-259 243] |hdl=2027/hvd.32044097056824 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044097056824}} and finally, exclamation mark (1839).{{cite book |last1=Goodenow |first1=Smith B. |title=A systematic text-book of English grammar: on a new plan: with copious questions and exercises |date=1839 |publisher=William Hyde |location=Portland |page=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.$b257804?urlappend=%3Bseq=58%3Bownerid=9007199259564681-62 52] |hdl=2027/uc1.$b257804 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.$b257804}}

Many older or portable typewriters did not have the exclamation mark. Instead the user typed a period and then backspaced and overtyped an apostrophe.{{harvnb|Truss|2004|page=135}}

Now obsolete, the name ecphoneme was documented in the early 20th century.{{cite book |year=1913 |author=Frank H. Vizetelly |title=The Preparation of Manuscripts for the Printer |edition=5th revised |publisher=Funk & Wagnalls Company |page=51 |quote=The note of exclamation or ecphoneme is used after a word or phrase to express sudden emotion, and is sometimes repeated for emphasis.}}

In the 1950s, secretarial dictation and typesetting manuals in America referred to the mark as "bang",{{cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Clyde |title=Communicating through letters and reports |year=1955 |publisher=Richard Irwin |isbn=0-256-02270-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/communicatingthr00wilk/page/651 651] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/communicatingthr00wilk}}{{cite book |last=Hendrickson |first=Robert |title=The literary life and other curiosities |year=1982 |publisher=Penguin Books|page=358}} perhaps from comic books – where the ! appeared in dialogue bubbles to represent a gun being fired{{cite web|title=ASCII Pronunciation Guide|url=http://ascii-table.com/pronunciation-guide.php#01|access-date=2011-10-19|archive-date=2011-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024233223/http://ascii-table.com/pronunciation-guide.php#01|url-status=live}} – although the nickname probably emerged from letterpress printing.{{cite web |last=Haley |first=Allan |title=Punctuation |url=http://www.dynamicgraphics.com/dgm/Article/28859/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313182231/http://dynamicgraphics.com/dgm/Article/28859/index.html |archive-date=March 13, 2012}} This "bang" usage is behind the names of the interrobang, an unconventional typographic character, and the shebang, a feature of Unix computer systems.

In the printing world, the exclamation mark can be called a screamer, a gasper, a slammer, a dog's cock,{{Cite web |last=Eveleth |first=Rose |author-link=Rose Eveleth |title=The History of the Exclamation Point |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-history-of-the-exclamation-point-16445416/ |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en |archive-date=2022-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118195849/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-history-of-the-exclamation-point-16445416/ |url-status=live }} or a startler.{{harvnb|Truss|2004|page=136}}: "Everyone knows the exclamation mark – or exclamation point, as it is known in America. It comes at the end of a sentence, is unignorable and hopelessly heavy-handed, and is known in the newspaper world as a screamer, a gasper, a startler or (sorry) a dog's cock."

In hacker culture, the exclamation mark is called "bang", "shriek", or, in the British slang known as Commonwealth Hackish, "{{lang|en-GB|pling}}". For example, the password communicated in the spoken phrase "Your password is em-zero-pee-aitch-bang-en-three" ("{{lang|en-GB|em-nought-pee-aitch-pling-en-three}}" in Commonwealth Hackish) is m0ph!n3.{{cite web |url=http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/B/bang.html |title=bang |work=The Jargon File |version=4.4.8 |access-date=9 July 2018 |archive-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619091226/http://catb.org/jargon/html/B/bang.html |url-status=live }}

The exclamation mark is mainly used in languages that use the Latin alphabet, although usage slightly varies. It has also been adopted in languages written in other scripts, such as languages written with Cyrillic or Arabic scripts, Chinese characters, and Devanagari.

A sentence ending in an exclamation mark may represent an exclamation or an interjection (such as "Wow!", "Boo!"), or an imperative ("Stop!"), or may indicate astonishment or surprise: "They were the footprints of a gigantic hound!" Exclamation marks are occasionally placed mid-sentence with a function similar to a comma, for dramatic effect, although this usage is obsolete: "On the walk, oh! there was a frightful noise."[http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/thearta.htm The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123052256/https://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/thearta.htm |date=2017-11-23 }}. "Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear up the planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!"

Informally, exclamation marks may be repeated for additional emphasis ("That's great!!!"), but this practice is generally considered unacceptable in formal prose.{{cite web|url=http://www.e-strategyguide.gov.au/make_email_work/effective_email |title=Effective use of email |publisher=Government of Australia, Dept. of Broadband |work=E-strategy guide |date=January 23, 2008 |access-date=2013-08-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929231639/http://www.e-strategyguide.gov.au/make_email_work/effective_email |archive-date=September 29, 2009 }}

The exclamation mark is sometimes used in conjunction with the question mark. This can be in protest or astonishment ("Out of all places, the squatter-camp?!"); a few writers replace this with a single, nonstandard punctuation mark, the interrobang, which is the combination of a question mark and an exclamation mark.[http://www.upsidedownexclamationpoint.com/] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718041608/http://www.upsidedownexclamationpoint.com/|date=July 18, 2014}}

Overly frequent use of the exclamation mark is generally considered poor writing, as it distracts the reader and decreases the mark's significance.{{Cite web|url = https://www.boundless.com/writing/textbooks/boundless-writing-textbook/style-structure-grammar-5/punctuation-31/choosing-correct-end-punctuation-145-9261/|title = Terminal punctuation identifies the end of a sentence, and most commonly includes periods, question marks, and exclamation points.|access-date = 6 April 2015|website = Boundless.com|archive-date = 16 April 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150416013723/https://www.boundless.com/writing/textbooks/boundless-writing-textbook/style-structure-grammar-5/punctuation-31/choosing-correct-end-punctuation-145-9261/|url-status = live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/comment/donald-trump-has-murdered-the-english-language-20170209-gu9h28.html|title=Donald Trump has murdered the English language with exclamation marks|last=Linnell|first=Garry|date=11 February 2017|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=11 February 2017|archive-date=10 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210162753/http://www.smh.com.au/comment/donald-trump-has-murdered-the-english-language-20170209-gu9h28.html|url-status=live}}

{{Blockquote|text=Cut out all these exclamation points... An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.|author=F. Scott Fitzgerald{{cite book|last1=Graham|first1=Sheilah|last2=Frank|first2=Gerold|title=Beloved Infidel: The Education of a Woman|date=1959|publisher=Bantam Books|location=New York|page=149}}}}

Some authors, most notably Tom Wolfe, are known for unashamedly liberal use of the exclamation mark. In comic books, the very frequent use of exclamation mark is common—see Comics, below.

For information on the use of spaces after an exclamation mark, see the discussion of spacing after a period.

Several studies have shown that women use exclamation marks more than men do. One study suggests that, in addition to other uses, exclamation marks may also function as markers of friendly interaction, for example, by making "Hi!" or "Good luck!" seem friendlier than simply "Hi." or "Good luck." (with periods).{{cite web |author=Carol Waseleski |title=Gender and the Use of Exclamation Points in Computer-Mediated Communication: An Analysis of Exclamations Posted to Two Electronic Discussion Lists |url=http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue4/waseleski.html |publisher=Jcmc.indiana.edu |access-date=2012-10-12 |doi=10.1111/(ISSN)1083-6101 |archive-date=2007-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070913080814/http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue4/waseleski.html |url-status=live }} However, use of exclamation marks in contexts that are not unambiguously positive can be misinterpreted as indicating hostility.

In English writing and often subtitles, a (!) symbol (an exclamation mark within parentheses) implies that a character has made an obviously sarcastic comment e.g.: "Ooh, a sarcasm detector. That's a really useful invention(!)"{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1210_how_to_converse/page13.shtml |title=Being sarcastic |publisher=BBC World Service |work=Learning English - How To |access-date=2008-07-31 |archive-date=2008-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423201910/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1210_how_to_converse/page13.shtml |url-status=live }} It also is used to indicate surprise at one's own experience or statement.

In French, as well as marking exclamations or indicating astonishment, the exclamation mark is commonly used to mark orders or requests: {{lang|fr|Viens ici{{nnbsp}}!}} (English: 'Come here!'). When available, a 'narrow no-break space' ({{lang|fr|espace fine insécable}}) is used between the last word and the exclamation mark in European French. If not, a regular non-breaking space ({{lang|fr|espace insécable}}) is currently used. In Canadian French, either no space is used or a small space ({{lang|fr|espace fine insécable}}) is inserted if available. One can also combine an exclamation mark with a question mark at the end of a sentence where appropriate.

German uses the exclamation mark for several things that English conveys with other punctuation:{{cite web|url=https://www.duden.de/sprachwissen/rechtschreibregeln/ausrufezeichen|title=Duden {{!}} Ausrufezeichen|website=www.duden.de|language=de|access-date=20 May 2020|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526052121/https://www.duden.de/sprachwissen/rechtschreibregeln/ausrufezeichen|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cafe-lingua.de/deutsche-grammatik/gebrauch-frage-ausrufezeichen.php|title=Gebrauch und Verwendung von Frage- und Ausrufezeichen (?, !)|website=www.cafe-lingua.de|language=de|access-date=20 May 2020|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731095639/https://www.cafe-lingua.de/deutsche-grammatik/gebrauch-frage-ausrufezeichen.php|url-status=live}}

• It is used at the end of imperative sentences, even when not particularly emphatic: {{lang|de|Ruf mich morgen an!}} (English: 'Call me tomorrow.') A normal period, as in English, is fairly common but is considered substandard.
• A related use is on signs that express a command or interdiction: {{lang|de|Betreten verboten!}} (English: 'No trespassing!').
• The exclamation mark may also be used in the salutation line of a letter: {{lang|de|Lieber Hans!}} (English: 'Dear Hans,'). However, the use of a comma is equally correct and is more common.

{{anchor|Greek exclamation mark|Thavmastiko}}

Cantonese has not historically used dedicated punctuation marks, rather relying on grammatical markers to denote the end of a statement. Usage of exclamation marks is common in written Mandarin and in some Yue speaking regions.{{cite book|title=The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Translation|publisher=Routledge|last1=Shei|first1=Chris|last2=Gao|first2=Zhao-Ming|year=2017|pages=334–337|isbn=9781317383024|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CyE6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT334}} The Canton and Hong Kong regions, however, generally refused to accept the exclamation mark as it was seen as carrying with it unnecessary and confusing Western connotations; however, an exclamation mark, including in some written representations of colloquy in Cantonese, can be used informally to indicate strong feeling.

In Modern Greek, the exclamation mark ({{lang|el|Θαυμαστικό}}, {{lang|el-Latn|thavmastikó}}) has been introduced from Latin scripts and is used identically, although without the reluctance seen in English usage.Nicolas, Nick. "[http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/unicode/punctuation.html Greek Unicode Issues: Punctuation]". 2005. Accessed 7 Oct 2014. {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20120806003722/http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/unicode/punctuation.html |date=August 6, 2012 }} A minor grammatical difference is that, while a series of interjections each employ an exclamation mark (e.g., {{lang|el|Ωχ! Αχ!}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Ōch! Ach!}}, 'Oops! Oh!'), an interjection should only be separated from an extended exclamation by a comma (e.g., {{lang|el|Ωχ, ξέχασα το μάτι της κουζίνας ανοιχτό!}}, {{lang|el-Latn|Ōch, xéchasa to máti tīs kouzínas anoichtó!}}, 'Oops! I left the stove on.').

In Hungarian, an exclamation mark is put at the end of exclamatory, imperative or prohibitive sentences, and sentences expressing a wish (e.g. {{lang|hu|De szép!}} – 'How beautiful!', {{lang|hu|A fűre lépni tilos!}} – 'Keep off the grass', {{lang|hu|Bárcsak sikerülne a tervem!}} – 'If only my plan would work out.').

The use of the exclamation mark is also needed when addressing someone and the addressing is a separate sentence. (typically at the beginning of letters, e.g. {{lang|hu|Kedves Péter!}} – 'Dear Peter,').{{cite web |last1=www.nytud.hu |first1=MTA NYTI |title=A magyar helyesírás szabályai (AkH.) |url=https://helyesiras.mta.hu/helyesiras/default/akh |website=helyesiras.mta.hu |access-date=11 March 2019 |language=en |archive-date=3 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203055542/https://helyesiras.mta.hu/helyesiras/default/akh |url-status=live }}

Greetings are also typically terminated with an exclamation mark (e.g. {{lang|hu|Jó estét!}} – 'Good evening.').

In Solomon Islands Pidgin, the phrase may be between admiration marks.

Compare {{lang|pis|Nomoa.}} ("No.") and {{lang|pis|!Nomoa nao!}} ("Certainly not!").{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Ernie |title=Pidgin phrasebook |date=1999 |publisher=Lonely Planet Publications |location=Hawthorn, Vic., Australia |isbn=0864425872 |pages=63–64 |edition=2nd |language=en}}

File:Billboard at Montjuïc, Barcelona (detail).jpg (detail), showing the initial exclamation mark for Spanish, but not for Catalan (top line) and English]]

In Spanish, a sentence or clause ending in an exclamation mark must also begin with an inverted exclamation mark (the same also applies to the question mark): {{lang|es|¿Estás loco? ¡Casi la matas!}}, 'Are you crazy? You almost killed her!'

As in British English, a bracketed exclamation mark may be used to indicate irony or surprise at a statement: {{lang|es|Dice que esta noche no va a salir de fiesta (!)}}, 'He said that he's not going to a party tonight(!).' Such use is not matched by an inverted opening exclamation mark.{{cite book |title=Diccionario panhispánico de dudas |date=2005 |publisher=Real Academia Española |url=https://www.rae.es/dpd/interrogaci%C3%B3n |access-date=14 January 2023 |language=es |chapter=interrogación y exclamación (signos de) 3. a) |archive-date=26 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226084701/https://www.rae.es/dpd/interrogaci%C3%B3n |url-status=live }}

In Turkish, an exclamation mark is used after a sentence or phrase for emphasis, and is common following both commands and the addressees of such commands. For example, in the {{lang|tr|Ordular! İlk hedefiniz Akdenizdir, ileri!}} ('Armies! Your first target is the Mediterranean') order by Atatürk, {{lang|tr|ordular}} ('the armies') constitute the addressee. It is further used in parentheses, {{lang|tr|(!)}}, after a sentence or phrase to indicate irony or sarcasm: {{lang|tr|Çok iyi bir iş yaptın (!)}}, 'You've done a very good job – Not!'.{{Cite web |title=Ünlem İşareti ( ! ) {{!}} Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı |url=https://www.turkedebiyati.org/unlem-isareti/ |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=www.turkedebiyati.org |language=tr |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221401/https://www.turkedebiyati.org/unlem-isareti/ |url-status=live }}

{{Contains special characters|Uncommon Unicode|section}}

In Limbu, an exclamation mark ({{lang|lif|᥄}}) is used after a Limbu sentence or phrase for emphasis, and is common following both commands and the addressees of such commands. For example, in the Limbu sentence {{lang|lif|ᤐᤚᤢ᥄ ᤄᤨᤘᤑ ᤂᤥᤆᤌᤙ Mediterranean, ᤚᤦᤛᤅ᥄}} ({{lang|lif-Latn|Paṡu! Ghōwapha khōcathaśa Mediterranean, ṡausaṅa!}}, 'Armies! Your first target is the Mediterranean!').

It is further used in parentheses, ({{lang|lif|᥄}}), after a sentence or phrase to indicate irony or sarcasm: {{lang|lif|ᤖᤥᤂᤌ ᤔᤚᤗ ᤐᤤ ᤊᤇ ᤃᤦᤄ (᥄)}} ({{lang|lif-Latn|Rōkhatha maṡala pai yancha gaugha (!)}}, 'You did a very good job — Not!').{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

In Khoisan languages, and the International Phonetic Alphabet, a symbol that looks like the exclamation mark is used as a letter to indicate the postalveolar click sound (represented as q in Zulu orthography). It is actually a vertical bar with underdot. In Unicode, this letter is properly coded as {{unichar|01C3|latin letter retroflex click}} and distinguished from the common punctuation symbol {{unichar|0021|exclamation mark}} to allow software to deal properly with word breaks.

The exclamation mark has sometimes been used as a phonetic symbol to indicate that a consonant is ejective. More commonly this is represented by an apostrophe, or a superscript glottal stop symbol ({{unichar|02c0|Modifier letter glottal stop}}).

Although not part of dictionary words, exclamation marks appear in some brand names and trade names, including Yum! Brands (parent of fast food chains like Taco Bell and KFC), Web services Yahoo! and Joomla!, and the online game Kahoot!. (Some media style guides, including those of ReutersReuters Handbook of Journalism (April 2008) sv "company names": "Eliminate exclamation points from company names, such as Yahoo! and Yum!." and The Economist,{{cite news |title=Johnson: When is a rule not a rule? |url=https://www.economist.com/prospero/2013/10/01/johnson-when-is-a-rule-not-a-rule |newspaper=The Economist |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 April 2025 |date=1 October 2013 |quote=a category of style choices at The Economist that includes ... stripping Yahoo and Yum Brands of the exclamation points they would have us use in their names}} omit such marks from trade names.) It appears in the titles of stage and screen works, especially{{or|date=April 2025}} comedies and musicals; examples include the game show Jeopardy!; the '60s musical TV show Shindig!; musicals Oklahoma!, Mamma Mia!, Oliver! and Oh! Calcutta!; and movies Airplane! and Moulin Rouge!. In the 1970s the exclamation mark fell out of favour for major musicals, but has remained common in ironic or parody titles.{{cite news |last1=Grode |first1=Eric |title=Broadway Shows Get the Point! Again! |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/theater/broadway-shows-get-the-point-again.html |access-date=22 April 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=28 April 2016 |page=AR9 |language=en}} Writer Elliot S! Maggin and cartoonist Scott Shaw! include exclamation marks in their names. In the 2016 United States presidential campaign, Republican candidate Jeb Bush used "Jeb!" as his campaign logo.

File:Westward Ho!.jpg

The English town of Westward Ho!, named after the novel by Charles Kingsley, is the only place name in the United Kingdom that officially contains an exclamation mark.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/07/children-use-exclamation-marks-department-education|title=Should children be told to not use exclamation marks?|last1=Poole|first1=Steven|last2=Frizzell|first2=Nell|newspaper=The Guardian|date=March 7, 2016|access-date=October 27, 2021|archive-date=October 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027185314/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/07/children-use-exclamation-marks-department-education|url-status=live}} There is a town in Quebec called Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, which is spelled with two exclamation marks.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/saint-louis-du-ha-ha-guiness-world-record-1.4298482|title=Saint Louis du Ha!Ha! gets Guinness World Record nod for its exclamation marks|publisher=CBC.ca|date=September 20, 2017|access-date=October 27, 2021|archive-date=September 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917200341/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/saint-louis-du-ha-ha-guiness-world-record-1.4298482|url-status=live}} The city of Hamilton, Ohio, changed its name to Hamilton! in 1986, but neither the United States Board on Geographic Names nor mapmakers Rand McNally recognised the change.{{cite news |title=Hamilton! (Cont'd.) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1986/08/15/hamilton-contd/dd31958b-0e75-4a0e-affb-a4d589686c16/?noredirect=on |access-date=11 September 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 15, 1986 |archive-date=13 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513132623/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1986/08/15/hamilton-contd/dd31958b-0e75-4a0e-affb-a4d589686c16/?noredirect=on |url-status=live }} The city of Ostrava, Czech Republic, changed its logotype to Ostrava!!! in 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.ostrava.cz/en/o-meste/logo-mesta-ostravy/logo-mesta-ostravy-en|title=Logo of the City of Ostrava|work=ostrava.cz|access-date=2013-03-09|archive-date=2013-06-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623235947/http://www.ostrava.cz/en/o-meste/logo-mesta-ostravy/logo-mesta-ostravy-en|url-status=live}}

File:Achtung.svg with an exclamation mark.]]

File:Cattle stop sign - New Zealand.jpg/cattle guard)]]

Exclamation marks are used to emphasize a precautionary statement. On warning signs, an exclamation mark is often used to draw attention to a warning of danger, hazards, and the unexpected. These signs are common in hazardous environments or on potentially dangerous equipment. A common type of this warning is a yellow triangle with a black exclamation mark, but a white triangle with a red border is common on European road warning signs. (In most cases, a pictogram indicating the nature of the hazard is enclosed in the triangle but an exclamation mark may be used instead as a generic symbol; a plate beneath identifies the hazard.)

{{clr}}

File:Zirkel der Hubertia Freiburg.jpg]]

The Zirkel monogram of a German Studentenverbindung includes an exclamation mark if the society is still active.

{{anchor|Mathematics|reason=Original heading title.}}

{{further|Glossary of mathematical symbols}}

In elementary mathematics, the symbol represents the factorial operation. The expression {{mvar|n}}! means "the product of the integers from 1 to {{mvar|n}}". For example, 4! (read four factorial) is 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 24. (0! is defined as 1,{{Cite web|last=Weisstein|first=Eric W.|title=Factorial|url=https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Factorial.html|access-date=2020-09-10|website=Wolfram MathWorld|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002092002/https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Factorial.html|url-status=live}} which is a neutral element in multiplication, not multiplied by anything.) Additionally, it can also represent the uniqueness quantifier or, if used in front of a number, it can represent a subfactorial.

In linear logic, the exclamation mark denotes one of the modalities that control weakening and contraction.

In computing, the exclamation mark is ASCII character 33 (21 in hexadecimal). Due to its availability even on early computers, the character was used for many purposes. The name given to "!" by programmers varies according to their background, though it was very common to give it a short name to make reading code aloud easier. "Bang"{{cite book |title= The New Hacker's Dictionary|edition=3rd|last= Raymond|first= Eric S.|year= 1996|publisher= The MIT Press|isbn= 978-0-262-68092-9|page=55}} is very popular. In the UK the term pling was popular in the earlier days of computing, whilst in the United States, the term shriek was used. It is claimed that these word usages were invented in the US and shriek is from Stanford or MIT; however, shriek for the ! sign is found in the Oxford English Dictionary dating from the 1860s.

Many computer languages using C-style syntax use "!" for logical negation; {{code|!A}} means "not A", and {{code|1=A != B}} means "A is not equal to B". This negation principle has spread to ordinary language; for example, the word "!clue" is used as a synonym for "no-clue" or "clueless".Raymond, Eric and Steele, Guy. [https://books.google.com/books?id=g80P_4v4QbIC&pg=PA18 The New Hacker's Dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408040118/https://books.google.com/books?id=g80P_4v4QbIC&pg=PA18 |date=2023-04-08 }}, p. 18 (MIT Press 1996).Munat, Judith. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UOPXXYslemYC&pg=PA148 Lexical Creativity, Texts and Context] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408085757/https://books.google.com/books?id=UOPXXYslemYC&pg=PA148 |date=2023-04-08 }}, p. 148 (John Benjamins Publishing, 2007). The symbol in formal logic for negation is {{code|¬}} but, as this symbol is not present as standard on most keyboards, the C convention has spread informally to other contexts.

Early e-mail systems also used the exclamation mark as a separator character between hostnames for routing information, usually referred to as "bang path" notation.

In the IRC protocol, a user's nickname and ident are separated by an exclamation mark in the hostmask assigned to him or her by the server.

In UNIX scripting (typically for UNIX shell or Perl), "!" is usually used after a "#" in the first line of a script, the interpreter directive, to tell the OS what program to use to run the script. {{code|#!}} is usually called a "hash-bang" or shebang. A similar convention for PostScript files calls for the first line to begin with {{code|%!}}, called "percent-bang".{{cite web |url=http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/ps/5001.DSC_Spec.pdf |title=PostScript Language Document Structuring Conventions (DSC) Specification Version 3.0 |author=Adobe Developer Support |date=25 September 1992 |website=Developer Resources |publisher=Adobe Systems Incorporated |access-date=2016-03-07 |page=92 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417234413/http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/ps/5001.DSC_Spec.pdf |archive-date=17 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}

An exclamation mark starts history expansions in many Unix shells such as bash and tcsh where {{code|!!}} executes the previous command and {{code|!*}} refers to all of the arguments from the previous command.

Acorn RISC OS uses filenames starting with pling to create an application directory: for instance a file called !Run is executed when the folder containing it is double-clicked (holding down shift prevents this). There is also !Boot (executed the first time the application containing it comes into view of the filer), !Sprites (icons), !Help, and others.

In APL, {{code|!x}} is used for factorial of x (backwards from math notation), and also for the binomial coefficient: {{code|k!n}} means $\backslash tbinom\; nk$ or {{math|{{frac|n!|k!(n–k)!}}}}.

BBC BASIC used pling as an indirection operator, equivalent to PEEK and POKE of four bytes at once.{{cite book |title=Computers in the laboratory: a student guide to microprocessor interfacing |author=John Littler, John Maher |year=1989 |publisher=Longman |pages=53, 54 |isbn=9780582004726 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9bRFAAAAYAAJ&q=pling+peek+-boo |access-date=30 Jan 2012}}

BCPL, the precursor of C, used "!" for pointer and array indirection: {{code|!P}} is equivalent to {{code|*P}} in C, and {{code|P!3}} is equivalent to {{code|P[3]}} in C.

In the Xbase family of programming languages, which includes dBase and FoxPro, an exclamation mark, when used as part of an expression, indicates negation. For example, != means "not equal to". At the start of a line of code, it is a synonym for RUN (which executes an external program).{{cite web |title=The Xbase++ Reference Documentation |url=https://doc.alaska-software.com/ |website=Alaska Software |access-date=23 March 2025}}{{cite web |title=Visual FoxPro Reference |url=https://hackfox.github.io/section4/ |website=Hacker’s Guide to Visual FoxPro |publisher=Hentzenwerke Publishing |access-date=23 March 2025}}

In the Haskell programming language, "!" is used to express strictness.

In the Kotlin programming language, "!!" ("double-bang") is the not-null assertion operator, used to override null safety so as to allow a null pointer exception.{{cite web |url=https://kotlinlang.org/docs/null-safety.html#the-operator |title=Null safety |website=Kotlin docs |access-date=2021-01-28 |archive-date=2021-02-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212070227/https://kotlinlang.org/docs/null-safety.html#the-operator |url-status=live }}

In the ML programming language (including Standard ML and OCaml), "!" is the operator to get the value out of a "reference" data structure.

In the Raku programming language, the "!" twigil is used to access private attributes or methods in a class (like {{code|class Person { has $!name; }|raku}} or {{code|self!private-method;|raku}}).{{cite web |url=https://docs.perl6.org/language/objects#Attributes |title=Object Orientation (Attributes) |website=Perl 6 Documentation |access-date=2017-03-28 |archive-date=2017-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329141346/https://docs.perl6.org/language/objects#Attributes |url-status=live }}

In the Scheme,{{cite journal |author=Richard Kelsey |date=August 1998 |title=Revised⁵ Report on the Algorithmic Language Scheme |url=http://www.schemers.org/Documents/Standards/R5RS/ |journal=Higher-Order and Symbolic Computation |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=7–105 |doi=10.1023/A:1010051815785 |access-date=2012-08-09 |author2=William Clinger |author3=Jonathan Rees |display-authors=3 |last4=Rozas |first4=G.J. |last5=Adams Iv |first5=N.I. |last6=Friedman |first6=D.P. |last7=Kohlbecker |first7=E. |last8=Steele Jr. |first8=G.L. |last9=Bartley |first9=D.H. |s2cid=14069423 |archive-date=2007-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105152327/http://www.schemers.org/Documents/Standards/R5RS/ |url-status=live }} Julia,[The Julia Language documentation https://docs.julialang.org/en/latest/base/base/#Introduction-1 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503021517/https://docs.julialang.org/en/latest/base/base/#Introduction-1 |date=2019-05-03 }}], accessed 8 July 2019. and Ruby programming languages, "!" is conventionally the suffix for functions and special forms that mutate their input.

In the Swift programming language, a type followed by "!" denotes an "implicitly unwrapped optional", an option type where the compiler does not enforce safe unwrapping. The "!" operator "force unwraps" an option type, causing an error if it is nil.

In Geek Code version 3, "!" is used before a letter to denote that the geek refuses to participate in the topic at hand. In some cases, it has an alternate meaning, such as G! denoting a geek of no qualifications, !d denoting not wearing any clothes, P! denoting not being allowed to use Perl, and so on. They all share some negative connotations, however.

{{code|!}} is used to denote changed lines in diff output in the {{pslink|diff|context format}}. In the {{pslink|diff|unified format}}, changes to a single line are denoted as an addition and deletion.

The exclamation mark can be used in video games to signify that a character is startled or alarmed. In the Metal Gear and Paper Mario series, an exclamation mark appears over enemies' heads when they notice the player.

In massively multiplayer online (MMO) games such as World of Warcraft, an exclamation mark hovering over a character's head is often used to indicate that they are offering a quest for the player to complete.

In Dota 2, an exclamation mark is shown above the head of a unit if it is killed by means not granting enemies experience or gold (if it is "denied").

In the 2005 arcade dance simulation game In the Groove 2, there is a song titled "!" (also referred to as "bang") by the artist Onyx.

{{More citations needed section|date=November 2012}}

In Internet culture, especially where leet is used, multiple exclamation marks may be affixed with the numeral "1" as in !!!!!!111. The notation originates from a common error: when typing multiple exclamation points quickly, the typist may fail to hold the {{keypress|shift}}{{keypress|1}} combination that produces the exclamation mark on many keyboard layouts. This error, first used intentionally as a joke in the leet linguistic community, is now an accepted form of exclamation in leet and derivative dialects such as Lolspeak.{{cite journal|last1=Gawne|first1=L.|last2=Vaughan|first2=J.|title=I can haz language play: The construction of language and identity in LOLspeak.|journal=Proceedings of the 42nd Australian Linguistic Society Conference - 2011|year=2012|pages=97–122|hdl=1885/9398|isbn=9780980281545}} Some utterances include further substitutions, for example "!!!111oneeleven".{{cite journal|last1=Blashki|first1=Katherine|last2=Nichol|first2=Sophie|title=Game Geek's Goss: Linguistic Creativity In Young Males Within An Online University Forum (94/\/\3 933k'5 9055oneone)|journal=Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society|year=2005|volume=3|issue=2|page=78|url=http://www.swinburne.edu.au/hosting/ijets/journal/V3N2/pdf/V3N2-2-Blashki.pdf|access-date=25 November 2012|archive-date=15 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915231116/http://www.swinburne.edu.au/hosting/ijets/journal/V3N2/pdf/V3N2-2-Blashki.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=International journal of emerging technologies and society |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/tep/85781 |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=Trove |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221359/https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/tep/85781 |url-status=live }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

In fandom and fanfiction, ! is used to signify a defining quality in a character, usually signifying an alternative interpretation of a character from a canonical work. Examples of this would be "Romantic!Draco" or "Vampire!Harry" from Harry Potter fandom. It is also used to clarify the current persona of a character with multiple identities or appearances, such as to distinguish "Armor!Al" from "Human!Al" in a work based on Fullmetal Alchemist. The origin of this usage is unknown, although {{citation needed span |date=July 2023 |it is hypothesized to have originated with certain Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, for example, "Football Player! Leonardo", "Rockstar! Raphael", and "Breakdancer! Michelangelo".}}{{Cite web |title=! - Fanlore |url=https://fanlore.org/wiki/! |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=fanlore.org |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221400/https://fanlore.org/wiki/! |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=hosekisama |title=Minstrels of a Hyaena |url=https://hosekisama.tumblr.com/post/90998817920/hey-whats-up-with-the-in-fandoms-ie-fat |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=Tumblr |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221400/https://hosekisama.tumblr.com/post/90998817920/hey-whats-up-with-the-in-fandoms-ie-fat |url-status=live }}

File:Action252.jpg. Often, few or no periods would be used in the entire book.]]

Some comic books, especially superhero comics of the mid-20th century, routinely use the exclamation point instead of the period, which means the character has just realized something; unlike when the question mark appears instead, which means the character is confused, surprised or they do not know what is happening. This tends to lead to exaggerated speech, in line with the other hyperboles common in comic books. A portion of the motivation, however, was simply that a period might disappear in the printing process used at the time, whereas an exclamation point would likely remain recognizable even if there was a printing glitch. For a short period Stan Lee, as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, attempted to curb their overuse by a short-lived ban on exclamation points altogether, which led to an inadvertent lack of ending punctuation on many sentences.Cronin, Brian (January 28, 2010). [http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/01/28/comic-book-legends-revealed-245/ Comic Book Legends Revealed #245] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320033524/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/01/28/comic-book-legends-revealed-245/ |date=2013-03-20 }}. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2010-08-26.

Comic book writer Elliot S! Maggin once accidentally signed his name with an exclamation due to the habit of using them when writing comic scripts; it became his professional name from then on.Adams, Eury, Swan (2006). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Fcm4JrX-F54C&q=point&pg=PA141 The Krypton Companion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408040120/https://books.google.com/books?id=Fcm4JrX-F54C&q=point&pg=PA141 |date=2023-04-08 }}. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 141. {{ISBN|978-1-893905-61-0}}. Retrieved 2010-08-25.{{cite web |title=Elliot S! Maggin, Super-Scribe! |url=http://superman.nu/esm/ |access-date=March 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129041413/http://superman.nu/esm/ |archive-date=November 29, 2010 }} Similarly, comic artist Scott Shaw! has used the exclamation point after his name throughout his career.

In comic books and comics in general, a large exclamation point is often used near or over a character's head to indicate surprise. A question mark can similarly be used to indicate confusion.

{{Main|Punctuation (chess)}}

In chess notation "!" denotes a good move, "!!" denotes an excellent move, "?!" denotes a dubious move, and "!?" denotes an interesting, risky move. In some chess variants such as large-board Shogi variants, "!" is used to record pieces capturing by stationary feeding or burning.

In Scrabble, an exclamation mark written after a word is used to indicate its presence in the Official Tournament and Club Word List but its absence from the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, usually because the word has been judged offensive.

Exclamation points or asterisks can be used on scorecards to denote a "great defensive play".Holz, Sean. [http://baseball-almanac.com/score2b.shtml Scoring Baseball - Advanced Symbols] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012234604/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/score2b.shtml |date=2011-10-12 }} Baseball-Almanac.com

The band !!! (pronounced "Chk Chk Chk") uses exclamation points as its name.Seabrook, Andrea (May 17, 2007). [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10236467 "The Musicians of !!!: Making Their Own 'Myths' "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503042123/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10236467 |date=2018-05-03 }} (Audio: Flash or MP3). All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved 2010-08-26.

In 2008, the pop-punk band Panic! at the Disco dropped the exclamation point in its name; this became the "most-discussed topic on [fan] message boards around the world".Montgomery, James; Elias, Matt (January 11, 2008). [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1579497/20080111/panic_at_the_disco.jhtml "Panic At The Disco Explain Excised Exclamation Point"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904054724/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1579497/20080111/panic_at_the_disco.jhtml |date=2009-09-04 }}. Artist News. MTV News. Retrieved 2010-08-26. In 2009, the exclamation mark was re-inserted following the band's split.Maura (July 10, 2009). [http://idolator.com/5252292/panic-at-the-disco-post-new-music-restore-their-exclamation-point "Panic! At The Disco Post New Music, Restore Their Exclamation Point"]. Retrieved 2009-07-16.

The band Bomb the Music Industry! utilizes an exclamation mark in its name, as well as several album and song titles and promotional material. Examples include their songs "(Shut) Up The Punx!!!" and the album Adults!!!: Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited by Nothing!!!!!!!.

American musician Pink stylizes her stage name "P!NK",{{cite web |url=http://www.pinkspage.com/us/pnks-biography-new |title=P!nk's Biography {{pipe}} The Official P!nk Site |publisher=Pinkspage.com |access-date=2012-10-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713041233/http://www.pinkspage.com/us/pnks-biography-new |archive-date=2012-07-13 }} and uses three exclamation points in the subtitle of her 2010 release, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!.{{cite web |url=http://www.pinkspage.com/us/music/greatest-hits%E2%80%A6so-far-edited |title=P!nk Music: Greatest Hits... So Far!!! (Edited) {{pipe}} The Official P!nk Site |publisher=Pinkspage.com |access-date=2012-10-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219234201/http://www.pinkspage.com/us/music/greatest-hits%E2%80%A6so-far-edited |archive-date=2012-12-19 }}

The exclamation mark was included in the title of Dinah Shore's TV series, Dinah! The exclamation mark was later the subject of a bitter argument between Elaine Benes and her boyfriend, Jake Jarmel, in the Seinfeld episode, "The Sniffing Accountant". Elaine got upset with Jake for not putting an exclamation mark at the end of a message about her friend having a baby. Jake took extreme exception to the trivial criticism and broke up with Elaine, putting an exclamation mark after his parting words: "I'm leaving!"{{Cite web |title=Seinfeld |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/seinfeld/episodes-season-5/1000137994/ |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413221401/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/seinfeld/episodes-season-5/1000137994/ |url-status=live }}

{{SpecialChars|Unicode}}

• {{unichar|0021|EXCLAMATION MARK}} (HTML !, !{{efn|group=lower-alpha|HTML5 is the only version of HTML that has a named entity for the exclamation mark.{{cite web |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/html4/sgml/entities.html |title=24 Character entity references in HTML 4 |access-date=April 7, 2018 |work=w3.org |quote=The following sections present the complete lists of character entity references |archive-date=April 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401051616/http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/sgml/entities.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/2014/CR-html5-20140731/syntax.html#named-character-references |title=A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML |date=July 31, 2014 |access-date=April 7, 2018 |work=w3.org |quote=excl; |archive-date=August 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805013240/http://www.w3.org/TR/2014/CR-html5-20140731/syntax.html#named-character-references |url-status=live }}}})

Related forms have these code points:

• {{unichar|00a1|INVERTED EXCLAMATION MARK|nlink=Inverted_question_and_exclamation_marks|html=}}
• {{unichar|01c3|LATIN LETTER RETROFLEX CLICK|use=IPA|html=}} (In IPA: alveolar click)
• {{unichar|203C|DOUBLE EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}} (for use in vertical text)
• {{Emoji presentation|‼}} with emoji variation selector
• {{unichar|203D|Interrobang|nlink=Interrobang|html=}}
• {{unichar|2E18|Inverted Interrobang|nlink=Inverted_question_and_exclamation_marks|html=}}
• {{unichar|2048|QUESTION EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}} (for use in vertical text)
• {{unichar|2049|EXCLAMATION QUESTION MARK|html=}} (for use in vertical text)
• {{Emoji presentation|⁉}} with emoji variation selector
• {{unichar|26A0|WARNING SIGN |html=}} (exclamation mark in triangle)
• {{unichar|2755|WHITE EXCLAMATION MARK ORNAMENT|html=}} (in Unicode lingo, "white" means hollow)
• {{unichar|2757|HEAVY EXCLAMATION MARK SYMBOL|html=}}
• {{unichar|2762|HEAVY EXCLAMATION MARK ORNAMENT|html=}}
• {{unichar|2763|HEAVY HEART EXCLAMATION MARK ORNAMENT|html=}}
• {{Emoji presentation|❣}} with emoji variation selector
• {{unichar|2E53|MEDIEVAL EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}}
• {{unichar|A71D|MODIFIER LETTER RAISED EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}}
• {{unichar|A71E|MODIFIER LETTER RAISED INVERTED EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}}
• {{unichar|A71F|MODIFIER LETTER LOW INVERTED EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}}
• {{unichar|fe15|Presentation form for vertical exclamation mark}}
• {{unichar|FE57|SMALL EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}} (for special applications within CJK text)
• {{unichar|FF01|FULLWIDTH EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}} (for special applications within CJK text)
• {{unichar|E0021|TAG EXCLAMATION MARK|html=}}

Some emojis include an exclamation mark:

• {{unichar|1f199|squared up with exclamation mark}}
• {{unichar|1f51b|on with exclamation mark with left right arrow above}}

Some scripts have their own exclamation mark:

• {{unichar|055C|ARMENIAN EXCLAMATION MARK|nlink=Armenian alphabet}}
• {{unichar|07F9|NKO EXCLAMATION MARK|nlink=N'Ko script}}
• {{unichar|109F|MYANMAR SYMBOL SHAN EXCLAMATION|nlink=Burmese script|use=lang|use2=my}}
• {{unichar|1944|LIMBU EXCLAMATION MARK|nlink=Limbu script}}
• {{unichar|aa77|Myanmar symbol aiton exclamation|use=lang|use2=my}}
• {{unichar|1e95e|Adlam initial exclamation mark|nlink=Adlam alphabet|use=lang|use2=ff}}

• Period
• Inverted question and exclamation marks
• Punctuation
• Terminal punctuation

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book |last=Hazrat |first=Florence |date=2022 |title=An admirable point : a brief history of the exclamation mark! |location=London |publisher=Profile Books |page= |isbn=978-1800811973}}

{{Commons category|Exclamation marks}}

• [http://www.decodeunicode.org/u+0021 U+0021 exclamation point] — Decode Unicode

{{navbox punctuation|state=collapsed}}

Category:Punctuation