w:sym (Symbol)

Inserts a symbol character from a named font at the specified character code.

Parent elements

Description

w:sym inserts a special symbol character from a specified font at the current run position. It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.3.3.30.

Unlike w:t, which carries Unicode text, w:sym references a glyph by its character code within a named font. This is used for symbols in fonts like Symbol or Wingdings whose code points do not map to standard Unicode positions, or where font-specific glyph rendering is required.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
`w:font`	`ST_String`	Font family name, e.g. `Symbol`, `Wingdings`, `Wingdings 2`	The font from which the symbol glyph is drawn.
`w:char`	`ST_ShortHexNumber`	4-digit hex character code, e.g. `F0E0`	The glyph code point within the specified font.

Examples

<!-- Bullet symbol from Wingdings -->
<w:r>
  <w:sym w:font="Wingdings" w:char="F0B7"/>
</w:r>

new Run(
  new SymbolChar { Font = "Wingdings", Char = "F0B7" });

<!-- Multiple symbols with text -->
<w:r>
  <w:sym w:font="Wingdings" w:char="F0A7"/>  <!-- Diamond -->
</w:r>
<w:r>
  <w:t xml:space="preserve"> Important Item</w:t>
</w:r>

<!-- Check mark from Wingdings 2 -->
<w:r>
  <w:sym w:font="Wingdings 2" w:char="F052"/>  <!-- Check mark -->
</w:r>

new Run(new SymbolChar { Font = "Wingdings", Char = "F0A7" }),  // Diamond
new Run(new Text(" Important Item")),

// Check mark
new Run(new SymbolChar { Font = "Wingdings 2", Char = "F052" });

<!-- Symbol with formatting -->
<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:color w:val="FF0000"/>
    <w:sz w:val="32"/>  <!-- 16pt -->
  </w:rPr>
  <w:sym w:font="Wingdings" w:char="F06E"/>  <!-- Heart -->
</w:r>

new Run(
  new RunProperties(
    new Color { Val = "FF0000" },  // Red
    new FontSize { Val = "32" }),   // 16pt
  new SymbolChar { Font = "Wingdings", Char = "F06E" });  // Heart

Common Symbol Fonts and Glyphs

Font	Code	Glyph	Use Case
Wingdings	F0B7	•	Bullet point
Wingdings	F0A7	◆	Diamond
Wingdings	F06E	♥	Heart
Wingdings	F0A8	○	Hollow bullet
Wingdings 2	F052	✓	Check mark
Wingdings 2	F0A8	☐	Checkbox (unchecked)
Wingdings 2	F0C5	✗	X mark
Symbol	F0A4	✓	Check (alternate)
Symbol	F0A8	✓	Check (solid)

Character Code Reference

Format	Example	Notes
Hex (4-digit)	`F0B7`	Use this in w:sym/@w:char
Unicode	U+00B7	Reference; may not match font code
Decimal	61623	Less common; avoid

Notes

Prefer Unicode: Use standard Unicode characters in w:t over w:sym wherever the glyph is available in a standard font, for better interoperability.
Character code mapping: The character code is font-relative, not a Unicode code point; the same code in different fonts produces different glyphs.
Font availability: The w:font must be installed on the system viewing the document; missing fonts fall back to a substitute font.
Symbol fonts common use: Wingdings and Wingdings 2 are most common for decorative symbols; Symbol font for math/science notations.
Formatting inheritance: The symbol inherits text properties (color, size, bold) from the run’s w:rPr.
Accessibility: Symbol glyphs may not be readable by screen readers; provide alt text or description in surrounding text.
Backward compatibility: w:sym is legacy; newer documents prefer Unicode text with specialized fonts.
Display fallback: If the font doesn’t contain the glyph code, renderers display a replacement character (often a question mark or box).
Bullet lists: While w:sym can create bullet-like glyphs, prefer semantic list markup (w:numPr) for proper outline hierarchy.
Rendering variations: Different Operating Systems and applications may render the same font/code combination differently.