Plus symbol
The plus symbol + is the first operator every child meets — one cross that means “and more”: 2 + 2, +44 on a phone number, 18+ on a door. Copy the plain plus sign and its styled family here, and see the second jobs it works outside maths: positive charges, top grades and blood types.
Copy the plus signs
Pluses ready to copy
One cross, many jobs
| Setting | What + does there |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Addition — and a positive number’s badge: +5 needs no operation at all |
| Phones | The international prefix: +44, +1, +966 replace the exit code wherever you travel |
| Science | Positive electric charge and cations: Na+, Ca²+; blood types borrow it too (O+, A+) |
| Everyday marks | Grades (A+), ratings (18+), sizes (XL+), and “and guests” on invitations (+1) |
The sign began as shorthand for the Latin word et (“and”) in medieval manuscripts — scribes compressed the word into a stroke, the stroke settled into a cross, and by the 1400s + and − were a printed pair. Its twin lives on the minus page; the fused pair ±, which says “either way”, has its own page in this collection.
How to type it
| Platform | Method |
|---|---|
| Any keyboard | Shift + = (the equals key) — the plus hides there on US and most layouts |
| Numeric keypad | The dedicated + key on the right edge — data entry’s best friend |
| HTML / code | Just type it: + is a plain ASCII character (code 43); in URLs it means a space, so encode it as %2B when it must stay a plus |
Explore more
The pair’s other half is the minus symbol, the two fused together live on the plus minus symbol page, and all the operators gather in the math symbols collection.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the plus key on a keyboard?
Shift and the equals key, top row, just left of Backspace — the key is labelled = with + above it. Laptops keep the same arrangement; the numeric keypad, when present, has its own tall + key on the right.
Why do phone numbers start with +?
The + stands for “dial your country’s international exit code here” — 011 from the US, 00 from most of Europe. One stored number like +44 20 … then works from anywhere on Earth without editing.
Is ➕ the same character as +?
No — ➕ is an emoji-style heavy plus (it may render in colour on phones), while + is the plain text character that belongs in equations, numbers and forms. Use + for anything that must stay text.
What does + mean in blood types?
It marks the Rh factor: O+ blood carries the Rh D antigen, O− does not. The plus/minus pair divides all eight common blood groups — a medical use of the two oldest operator signs.