Using the Middle Dot
The middle dot is a small point centred on the x-height of the text. Romans carved it between words on inscriptions, which is why it is also called the interpunct, and it has kept that "light separator" job for two thousand years. Today it appears in three main places: metadata lines on the web, Catalan spelling, and mathematics.
As a separator
Look under the title of almost any blog post and you will see a line like "12 Mar 2026 · 4 min read · 3 comments". The dot is quieter than a vertical bar and lighter than a bullet, so it lets short pieces of information sit side by side without shouting. Surround it with a space on each side. Designers use it the same way in breadcrumbs, footers and price tags, and social platforms use it in timestamps ("2h · Public"). In a bio it works as a subtle divider, though on a phone in dark mode the dot can nearly vanish, which is why many people choose the bullet point instead when they want the separator to be seen.
Catalan
In Catalan the sequence l·l (called ela geminada) is a double L that is pronounced as a long L rather than the "y" sound of Spanish ll. Words like col·legi, paral·lel and il·lusió need the real middle dot; a period or a hyphen is wrong, and a bullet is too heavy. The Catalan keyboard layout puts it on Shift + 3, and Catalan writers regard the correct character as a mark of care.
Mathematics
Textbooks use a raised dot for multiplication, especially between variables (a · b) or in vectors (u · v for the dot product). Unicode reserves the dot operator ⋅ for this, and LaTeX's \cdot produces it, but the middle dot is close enough that many people type it in email and forums. In a spreadsheet neither will calculate anything; use * there.
Lookalikes and mistakes
- The Japanese katakana middle dot ・ is full-width and separates foreign names; it looks huge in Latin text.
- The hyphenation point ‧ is for dictionary syllable breaks.
- Use ⋅ rather than · in serious maths typesetting so that spacing rules apply.
- In chemistry the dot in CuSO₄·5H₂O denotes water of crystallisation and is a real middle dot.
Rendering
Because it belongs to Latin-1, the character shows on every device, in game chat and in text-only fields. On a Mac press Option + Shift + 9, on Windows Alt + 0183; phones lack a key for it, so a text replacement or a paste from this page is the easiest route. If you want a set of matching small ornaments for an aesthetic layout, the dot pairs neatly with the degree symbol and tiny stars in "˚·✧" style dividers.