Using the Bullet Point
The bullet is the round marker that begins each item in an unordered list. Word, Google Docs, Notion and every note-taking app insert it for you when you start a list, but the raw character matters when you write in a plain-text box: an email signature, a job posting on a site with no formatting, a product description, a Slack message or a social bio.
List typography
Follow the bullet with one space and then the item text, and keep the items parallel: all fragments or all full sentences. If the items are sentences, end each with a period; if they are fragments, leave the ends bare. Do not type a bullet by hand inside a word processor that already has a list feature, because the indent and the hanging alignment will not follow. In HTML the correct tool is a `<ul>` element rather than a pasted •, since screen readers announce a real list ("list, three items") but read a typed bullet as the word "bullet" before every line.
Divider in bios
On Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and X the bullet has become the standard separator in one-line headlines: Founder • Runner • NYC. Put a space on both sides so the dot sits centred between the words; the spaced version reads as a pause rather than a list. The bullet is a sturdier choice than the middle dot, which is smaller and can disappear at phone sizes, and it is less formal than a vertical bar. Handles cannot contain it, but display names and bios on every major platform can, and it renders in game chat, Discord and email subject lines because it lives in Windows-1252 and Mac Roman as well as Unicode.
Sub-levels
For nested lists the printing convention runs •, then ◦, then ▪ or ⁃ at the third level, which is what Word and Google Docs do by default. Slide decks often swap in the triangular ‣ for a more directional feel. Keep the same marker at the same depth across a document; mixing shapes at one level looks accidental.
Where it goes wrong
- Two spaces after the bullet, or none, throws off alignment across items.
- Using the bullet operator ∙ from the maths block; it is smaller and renders inconsistently.
- Typing a bullet at the start of every line in an Amazon or Etsy listing, which platforms then double up with their own list styling.
- Passwords: the dots you see in a password field are usually this same character, which is why a copied "password" sometimes turns out to be a string of bullets.
As decoration
Because it is small and neutral, the bullet appears in nearly every aesthetic bio layout, often between star symbols or beside a small font tagline. Chains like "• • •" also serve as scene breaks in fiction posted online and as section dividers in long captions.