Greater-Than Sign >

The Greater-Than Sign character (>) is a standard HTML entity defined in the HTML specification. In HTML source code, it can be written using the named entity reference >, the decimal numeric character reference >, or the hexadecimal numeric reference >. The character is assigned Unicode code point U+003E in the Universal Character Set.

The greater-than sign closes HTML tags and is a reserved character in markup contexts. While browsers are often forgiving with unescaped greater-than signs in text content, escaping them is required for valid HTML and prevents edge-case parsing issues. It is one of the five predefined XML character entities.

Punctuation and whitespace entities are among the most frequently used HTML entities in web development. They handle characters that either have special meaning in HTML syntax — such as angle brackets and ampersands — or represent typographic characters that improve the visual quality of text, like em dashes and curly quotes. Proper use of punctuation entities is essential for producing valid, well-formed HTML documents and achieving professional-looking typography on the web.

When deciding how to encode the Greater-Than Sign character in your HTML documents, the named entity > is generally the most readable choice for developers reviewing or maintaining source code. The decimal form > and hexadecimal form > are equally valid alternatives that work in contexts where named entities may not be supported, or when generating HTML output programmatically from server-side code. All three representations produce identical visual output in every modern web browser.

Use the greater-than entity when displaying code examples that include closing tags, writing about command-line redirection operators, or showing mathematical comparisons. Escaping > is mandatory inside attributes and recommended in all text content for consistent, standards-compliant HTML.