{{Short description|Inverted V-shaped proof-reader's symbol}} {{About|the proofreader's symbols that indicate insertion|the similar symbol {{char|^}} used in computing|Caret|use as a diacritic modifying another character|Circumflex|other uses of the word "caret"|Caret (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{infobox symbol |mark = ‸ ⁁ ⎀ |unicode = {{unichar|2038|Caret}}<br/>{{unichar|2041|Caret insertion point}}<br/>{{unichar|2380|Insertion symbol}} |different from= {{unichar|005E|Circumflex accent|nlink=Circumflex (computing)}}<br/>{{unichar|028C|Latin small letter turned v|nlink=Turned v}}<br />{{unichar|2227|Logical AND |nlink=Logical conjunction}}<br/>{{unichar|03BB|GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA|nlink=Lambda}}<br/>{{unichar|039B|GREEK CAPITAL LETTER LAMDA}} }}
The '''caret''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ær|ɪ|t}}) 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 {{char|â}}), for which purpose it is known as a circumflex.
==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.<ref name="MLA" /> The term comes from the Latin word {{lang|la|caret}}, "it lacks", from {{lang|la|carēre}}, "to lack; to be separated from; to be free from".<ref name="Merriam-Webster" /> 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 ({{unichar|02C7|nlink=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;<ref name="APA"/> the material to be inserted may be placed inside the caret, in the margin, or above the line. <gallery class="center" widths="800" heights="170"> File:Image of carets telling reader to insert a comma, an apostrophe, and quotation marks.png|Carets telling reader to insert a comma, an apostrophe, and quotation marks. </gallery><gallery class="center" widths="700" heights="100"> File:Image of caret telling a reader to insert a letter.png|Caret telling a reader to insert a letter. File:Image of caret telling reader to insert a word.png|Caret telling reader to insert a word. File:Image of caret telling reader to change a word.png|Caret telling reader to change a word. </gallery>
== References == {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="APA">{{cite book | title = Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association | edition = 5th | year = 2001 | publisher = American Psychological Association | location = Washington, DC | isbn = 1-55798-791-2 | page = [https://archive.org/details/publicationmanu000amer/page/338 338] | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/publicationmanu000amer }}</ref>
<ref name="Merriam-Webster">{{cite web | url = http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caret | title = Caret | publisher = Merriam-Webster | access-date = 19 August 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="MLA">{{cite book | title = MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers | url = https://archive.org/details/mlahandbookforwr00asso | url-access = limited | edition = 7| year = 2009 | publisher = Modern Language Association | location = New York| isbn = 978-1-60329-024-1 | page = [https://archive.org/details/mlahandbookforwr00asso/page/n142 121]}}</ref>
<!-- Ref not used <ref name="SWCS">{{cite web |url=http://www.swcs.com.au/ansi.htm |title=AT & T's Baudot to ASCII |publisher=Stephen Williamson Computing Services |access-date=19 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822142845/http://www.swcs.com.au/ansi.htm |archive-date=22 August 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> -->
<!-- Ref not used <ref name="Unicode Basic Latin">{{cite web | url = http://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0000.pdf | title = C0 Controls and Basic Latin | author = Unicode | date = 1991–2012 | access-date = 19 August 2012}}</ref> -->
<!-- Ref not used <ref name="Unicode General Punctuation">{{cite web | url = http://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2000.pdf | title = General Punctuation | author = Unicode | date = 1991–2012 | access-date = 19 August 2012}}</ref> -->
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Category:Typographical symbols Category:Copy editing