Right Double Quotation Mark (”): A Typographic Guide
The Right Double Quotation Mark (”) is a standard punctuation mark primarily used to close a direct quote, spoken dialogue, or a cited title in English typography. Often referred to as a "smart quote" or "curly quote," it features a distinctive curve or angle that points down and toward the left, definitively closing the text opened by its counterpart, the Left Double Quotation Mark (“).
Before the invention of the typewriter, typesetters used distinct opening and closing quotation marks to make text highly legible. When typewriters hit the market, manufacturers needed to save physical space on the mechanical keyboard. They compromised by combining the opening and closing marks into a single, straight double quote ("). Today, modern word processors and smartphone operating systems automatically convert these straight quotes back into elegant, curly quotation marks, restoring the original typographic design as you type.
In the Unicode standard, this character is officially named "Right Double Quotation Mark" and occupies code point U+201D within the General Punctuation block.
You will spot the ” symbol constantly in literature, journalism, and everyday writing on social media. While digital publishers ensure their articles use proper curly quotes for aesthetic appeal, programmers have a very different relationship with the symbol. In coding, smart quotes are notorious troublemakers. Most programming languages rely strictly on the standard straight double quote (U+0022) to define text strings. If a curly ” accidentally gets copy-pasted into a code editor, it typically triggers an immediate syntax error. Additionally, in math and science, the right double quotation mark is sometimes mistakenly used to indicate inches or seconds, though the mathematically correct symbol for those measurements is the double prime (″).
Typing the right double quotation mark manually is straightforward once you learn the keyboard shortcuts. On a Mac, press Option + Shift + ]. On a Windows PC, hold the Alt key and type 0148 on your numeric keypad. Mobile users on iOS and Android can simply long-press the standard quote key on their virtual keyboards to reveal a pop-up menu with the smart quote options.
It is easy to confuse the ” symbol with its typographic relatives. The Left Double Quotation Mark (“) is its mirror image, used exclusively to open quotes. The ubiquitous straight quote (") remains the absolute default for raw data and computer coding. Meanwhile, the Right Single Quotation Mark (’) serves dual duty as both a closing single quote and a standard apostrophe. Taking a moment to use the correct ” symbol elevates your everyday writing and keeps your digital typography looking sharp.