This article is a list of standard proofreader's marks used to indicate and correct problems in a text. The marks may be abstract symbols, abbreviations, or (in some cases) entire spelled-out words. These are usually handwritten on the paper containing the text. These indicators are interleaved in the text or placed in margins.[1] Different languages use different proofreading marks and sometimes publishers have their own in-house proofreading marks.
Lists of these marks can often be found in relevant standards like ISO 5776 or BS 5261, style guides such as The Chicago Manual of Style,[2] encyclopedias such as the Encyclopædia Britannica,[3] dictionaries such as the OED,[citation needed] and instructive materials for editors and proofreaders.
Abbreviations
editThese abbreviations are those prescribed by the Chicago Manual of Style.[2] Other conventions exist.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| bf | Boldface | Set in boldface |
| caps | Capitalize | Set in capital letters |
| eq # | Equalize spacing | |
| fl | Flush left | Align text flush with left margin |
| fr | Flush right | Align text flush with right margin |
| hr # | Insert hair space | |
| ital | Italics | Set in italic type |
| lc | Lower case | Set in lowercase |
| ls | Letterspace | Adjust letterspacing |
| rom | Roman | Put in Roman (non-italic) font |
| sc | Small caps | Put text in small caps |
| set | Insert question mark | |
| sp | Spell out | Used to indicate that an abbreviation should be spelled out, such as in its first use |
| stet | Let it stand | Indicates that proofreading marks should be ignored and the copy unchanged |
| tr | transpose | Transpose the two words selected |
| wf | Wrong font | Put text in correct font |
| ww[4] | Wrong word | Wrong word used (e.g. to/too) |
Symbols
edit.svg)
Most, but not all, of these symbols can be found in The Chicago Manual of Style.[2] If Unicode contains a character that can be confidently identified with the symbol, its codepoint will be listed; otherwise the symbol in the symbol column is either an image, an html creation, or a typographical approximation using a similar unicode symbol.
| Symbol Name | Symbol(s) | Meaning | Example of Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dele |
|
Delete | |
| Pilcrow (Unicode U+00B6) | ¶[a] | Begin new paragraph | |
| Pilcrow (Unicode U+00B6) | ¶ no[citation needed] | Remove paragraph break | |
| Caret (Unicode U+2038, 2041, 2380[b]) | ‸ or ⁁ or ⎀[c] | Insert | |
| (Unicode U+0023) | #[d] | Insert space | |
| Close up (Unicode U+2050) | ⁐ | Tie words together, eliminating a space | I was reading the news⁐paper this morning. |
| ] [ | Center text | ||
| ] | Move text right | ||
| [ | Move text left | ||
| M̲ | Insert em dash | ||
| N̲ | Insert en dash | ||
| ☉ | Insert full stop | ||
| ⚪︎ | Insert punctuation (the punctuation mark wanted is shown inside the circle.) |
.png){kind=small}
Manuscripts
editDepending on local conventions, selected text may be underscored (underlined) to indicate any special formatting or typeface to be used, with an explanatory abbreviation written in the margin.[8][9]
The more common conventions are these:
- single dashed underline for stet, 'let it stand', proof-reading mark cancelled. The margin note
stet /may be added. - single straight underline for italic type
- single wavy underline for bold type
- double straight underline for small caps
- double underline of one straight line and one wavy line for bold italic
- triple underline for FULL CAPITAL LETTERS (used among small caps or to change text already typed as lower case).
See also
edit- ISO 5776 – Standard symbols for proofreading
- Blue pencil (editing) – Pencil used to show corrections to written copies
- Obelism – Editors' marks on manuscripts
Notes
edit- ↑ Typically with a hollow head, being handwritten.
- ↑ U+2380 ⎀ INSERTION SYMBOL is the ISO 9995-7 character for the Insert key[6][7]; it is included here for visual reference.
- ↑ The circumflex character ^ and latin letter v are sometimes shown but these are not correct.
- ↑ There is considerable individual variation in the angle at which this mark is written.
References
edit- ↑ "Proof Correction Marks" (PDF). British Standards Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
Instruction | Textual mark | Marginal mark [...]
- 1 2 3 "Proofreaders' Marks". The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ↑ "proofreading". Britannica. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- ↑ "Proofreading Marks: What Do They Mean?". Scribendi.
- ↑ "ISO 5776:2022". ISO. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
- ↑ ISO 9995-7, p. 4, within Table 1.
- ↑ "Miscellaneous Technical" (PDF). p. 252. Retrieved 3 June 2026. "Keyboard symbols from ISO 9995-7"
- ↑ Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2020. Bloomsbury. 5 September 2019. ISBN 9781472947512.
- ↑ "Proofreading Marks Chart – Some of the Most Common Proofreading Marks". graphic-design-employment.com. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
External links
edit- "Proofreader's marks". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015.
- "proofreading". Britannica. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- British Standards Institution BS 5261C:2005 – Hardcopy for purchase
- "PROOFMARKS - How to communicate your text changes without ambiguity" (PDF). Lancing Press. April 2014. (Online summary of BS5261, open access via "Proofmarks")
- BSI proof-correction marks (conforming to BS 5261C:2005) as prepared by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading
- The style guide for publications of the European Union is presented in 24 European languages and includes a section on proofreading. Each edition has a sheet of proofreader's marks that appears to be the same apart from the language used to describe the marks. The section cautions that "it should be realised that the typesetter may not understand the language in which the text is written".