Caret (proofreading)

The caret (/ˈkærɪt/) is a V-shaped grapheme, usually inverted and sometimes extended, used in proofreading and typography to indicate that additional material needs to be inserted at the point indicated in the text. The same symbol is also used as a diacritical mark modifying another character (as in â), for which purpose it is known as a circumflex.

This article is about the proofreader's symbols that indicate insertion. For the similar symbol ^ used in computing, see Caret (computing). For use as a diacritic or "hat" modifying another character (as in â), see Circumflex. For other uses of the word "caret", see Caret (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Carrot or Carat.

‸ ⁁ ⎀
Caret (proofreading)
In UnicodeU+2038 ‸ CARET
U+2041 ⁁ CARET INSERTION POINT
U+2380 ⎀ INSERTION SYMBOL
Different from
Different fromU+005E ^ CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT
U+028C ʌ LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED V
U+2227 ∧ LOGICAL AND
U+03BB λ GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA
U+039B Λ GREEK CAPITAL LETTER LAMDA

Usage

The caret was originally and continues to be used in handwritten form as a proofreading mark to indicate where a punctuation mark, word, or phrase should be inserted into a document.[1] The term comes from the Latin word caret, "it lacks", from carēre, "to lack; to be separated from; to be free from".[2] The caret symbol can be written just below the line of text for a punctuation mark at low line position, such as a comma, or just above the line of text as an inverted caret (U+02C7 ˇ CARON) for a character at a higher line position, such as an apostrophe, or in either position to indicate insertion of a letter, word or phrase;[3] the material to be inserted may be placed inside the caret, in the margin, or above the line.

  • Carets telling reader to insert a comma, an apostrophe, and quotation marks.
    Carets telling reader to insert a comma, an apostrophe, and quotation marks.
  • Caret telling a reader to insert a letter.
    Caret telling a reader to insert a letter.
  • Caret telling reader to insert a word.
    Caret telling reader to insert a word.
  • Caret telling reader to change a word.
    Caret telling reader to change a word.

References
  1. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7 ed.). New York: Modern Language Association. 2009. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-60329-024-1.
  2. "Caret". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  3. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. 2001. p. 338. ISBN 1-55798-791-2.
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