Black Star ★

The Black Star 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+2605 in the Universal Character Set.

The black star (★) is a filled five-pointed star used in rating systems, awards, rankings, and decorative contexts. It is one of the most commonly used symbols on the web for star ratings. When paired with the white star (☆), it creates a familiar rating visualization.

Symbol entities encompass a wide variety of special characters used in legal disclaimers, intellectual property notices, typographic ornaments, card suit indicators, and miscellaneous notation throughout web content. These characters appear in website footers for copyright notices, product pages for trademark symbols, academic papers for dagger footnote markers, and decorative or gaming contexts for card suits and stars.

When deciding how to encode the Black Star 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 black star in rating displays (★★★☆☆ for 3 out of 5), review scores, favorite indicators, and achievement badges. It provides a pure-text rating system that works in emails, plain text, and any HTML context without requiring images or icon libraries.