The masculine ordinal indicator º is Alt+0186 on Windows and Option+0 on a Mac. It marks an ordinal number in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, as in 1º for "first". It is not the degree sign, though the two look almost identical.
01 All shortcuts at a glance
| Platform | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows (Alt code) | Hold Alt, type 0186 on the numpad |
|
| Windows (any app) | Win+. or Win+; emoji/symbol picker, or Character Map (Win+R → charmap) |
|
| Mac | Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer, search "Masculine Ordinal Indicator" |
|
| Word / Outlook | Type 00BA, then press Alt+X |
|
| Linux (IBus) | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 00ba, then Enter |
|
| HTML / CSS | º · \00ba (CSS) |
02 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Windows
- Make sure Num Lock is on.
- Hold Alt and type 0186 on the numeric keypad.
- Release Alt, º appears.
Mac
- Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Type "Masculine Ordinal Indicator" in the search field.
- Double-click the result to insert it.
Microsoft Word
- Type 00BA.
- Press Alt+X immediately after, it converts the hex code to º.
03 Characters in this set
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ° (U+00B0) | Degree sign, a perfect circle | For temperature and angles. The ordinal indicator often carries an underline in Spanish fonts. |
| ª (U+00AA) | Feminine ordinal indicator | The feminine form, as in 1ª. Match the gender of the noun being counted. |
| ⁰ (U+2070) | Superscript zero | A raised digit for exponents. It is not an ordinal marker. |
05 FAQ
What is the Unicode code point for the masculine ordinal indicator?
It is U+00BA, decimal 186. Alt+0186 types it on Windows.
How is it different from the degree sign?
The degree sign at U+00B0 is a true circle used for temperature and angles. The ordinal indicator is a small raised o, often underlined, used after a number in Romance languages. Screen readers and search treat them differently.
When do I use º and when ª?
Match the grammatical gender. In Spanish, 1º primero is masculine and 1ª primera is feminine. Portuguese follows the same rule.
Why does autocorrect keep changing it?
Word converts an ordinal into superscript in some language settings, which produces a raised o rather than this character. Turn off ordinal autoformatting if you need the real indicator.
Is it used in English?
No. English writes 1st, 2nd and 3rd instead. You will meet the character mainly in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian text, and in addresses copied from them.