A caret is a small wedge- or V-shaped mark that shows where something should be inserted into text (pronounced KAIR-uht /ˈkærət/). In its oldest form it is a handwritten proofreading mark, and today the same name is given to the ^ character on a keyboard, produced by pressing Shift and the number 6.
What does caret mean?
The caret has two closely linked senses. As a proofreading and editing mark, it is a pointed symbol placed at the line of text to indicate exactly where a missing letter, word, phrase, or punctuation mark should be added, with the new material written above. As a typographic character, the caret is the ^ symbol found on standard keyboards. Because the two shapes resemble each other, they came to share a name. The word functions as a common noun and is neutral in tone, appearing across writing, mathematics, and computing.
Where does caret come from?
The name comes directly from Latin caret, meaning “it lacks” or “it is missing,” the third-person singular present form of the verb carere, “to lack, to be without.” Scribes and proofreaders marked a point in a manuscript with this notation to signal that something was absent and needed to be supplied. Over time the term attached to the wedge-shaped mark itself, and later to the similar-looking ^ character on typewriters and keyboards. The proofreader’s caret is sometimes written as an inverted v below the baseline, while the keyboard caret sits above it.
How is caret used?
In editing, a caret still marks insertions on paper and in the correction symbols used by publishers and teachers. In everyday computing, the ^ character has several technical roles. In many programming languages and spreadsheet formulas it denotes exponentiation, so 2^3 means two to the third power. In bitwise operations it often represents the exclusive-or (XOR) operator. In regular expressions the caret usually anchors a match to the start of a line or, inside brackets, negates a character set. It also appears in version numbers and in “caret notation,” where control characters are written as ^C and similar. Context determines which meaning applies.
Example sentences
- “The teacher used a caret to show where a comma was missing.”
- “Type a caret by pressing Shift plus 6 on your keyboard.”
- “In the spreadsheet, =2^10 uses the caret for exponentiation.”
- “The regex begins with a caret to match the start of the line.”
- “She inserted the forgotten word with a neat little caret.”
- “In many languages the caret is the XOR operator.”
Related and confusable terms
Related and easily confused symbols include the circumflex, the chevron, the angle bracket, and the wedge. The most common mix-up is between the caret and the circumflex accent (â), which look nearly identical but serve different purposes: the circumflex modifies a letter’s pronunciation, while the caret is a freestanding mark. The caret is also distinct from the “carrot” (the vegetable) and the “carat” (a unit of gem weight) and “karat” (a measure of gold purity); these are homophones with unrelated meanings.
Common misconceptions
A frequent error is spelling the mark “carrot” or “carat.” These sound the same but mean entirely different things, and only “caret” refers to the insertion symbol. Another misconception is that the caret and circumflex are the same character; although they overlap visually and even share a code point in some contexts, they have separate names and roles. Finally, the ^ symbol does not universally mean exponent, its meaning shifts between math, spreadsheets, and programming languages, so its function always depends on where you see it.
The caret in writing and editing
Long before computers, the caret was a working tool of scribes, editors, and typesetters. When a proofreader spotted a missing word or mark, they placed the small wedge at the exact point in the line and wrote the correction in the margin or above the text. This convention still appears in the standard proofreading marks taught to editors and used on printed proofs, in classrooms, and on handwritten drafts. Its virtue is precision: rather than rewriting a whole line, a single caret shows exactly where the addition belongs. Because it points to a gap, the name “it lacks” fits perfectly, capturing the idea that something is missing right there.
The caret across computing
On keyboards and screens, the caret took on a busy technical life. Beyond exponents, XOR, and regular expressions, it appears in “caret notation,” where control characters are written with a caret, such as ^C for the control-C command. Package managers and version schemes use a leading caret to mean “compatible with this version,” allowing safe minor updates. Some documentation and chat tools use ^ on a line to point up at the message above. The blinking text cursor in editors is also sometimes called a caret, a related but distinct sense. Across all these uses, the common thread is a small, pointed mark that draws attention to a specific spot, whether that spot is a missing word, a math operation, or the character just above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a caret symbol?
A caret is a wedge- or V-shaped mark. In proofreading it points to where text should be inserted, and on a keyboard the ^ character (Shift plus 6) is also called a caret.
How do you type a caret?
On most keyboards you type a caret by pressing Shift and the number 6 key, which produces ^.
What is the caret used for in coding?
In programming and math the caret often means exponentiation (as in 2^3), a bitwise XOR operation, or the start-of-line anchor in regular expressions, depending on the language.
Where does the word caret come from?
It comes from Latin caret, meaning "it lacks," the third-person form of carere, "to lack." Proofreaders used it to mark a spot where something was missing.
Is a caret the same as a circumflex?
No. They look alike, but the circumflex (as in â) is a diacritical accent placed over a letter, while the caret is a standalone insertion mark and the ^ symbol.
What does a caret look like?
It looks like a small upward-pointing wedge or V, similar to an arrowhead. The proofreading version is often written below the line as an inverted v.