Plus-Minus Sign (±) in Professional Writing
The plus-minus sign is a dedicated character rather than a decorative pairing of plus and minus marks. Unicode identifies it as U+00B1 PLUS-MINUS SIGN. Its exact mathematical or technical interpretation depends on the field, so professional copy should preserve the notation required by the source or governing standard.
Use the true plus-minus character “±” when the notation calls for plus-or-minus; do not replace it casually with unrelated punctuation.
Key details
Important caveats
Technical Boundary
Do not infer a specific statistical or measurement interpretation from the symbol alone; the surrounding field and source define what ± represents.
Usage Boundary
Use ± only where the notation actually means plus-or-minus in the relevant mathematical, scientific, or technical context.
Further guidance
Character Identity
Unicode identifies ± as U+00B1 PLUS-MINUS SIGN.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Latin-1 Supplement — Unicode Names List (opens in a new tab)Unicode Consortium · Unicode character identities for degree sign, plus-minus sign, and multiplication sign