interrobang
Syllables: in·ter·ro·bang/ɪnˈtɛ.ɹəʊˌbæŋ//ɪnˈtɛ.ɹəˌbæŋ/
interrobang noun: the nonstandard punctuation mark ⟨‽⟩ (a combination of ⟨?⟩ and ⟨!⟩), which may be used at the end of a sentence to express excitement or disbelief, or to indicate that it is a rhetorical question.
Noun
interrobang (plural interrobangs)
- The nonstandard punctuation mark ⟨‽⟩ (a combination of ⟨?⟩ and ⟨!⟩), which may be used at the end of a sentence to express excitement or disbelief, or to indicate that it is a rhetorical question.
- Has anyone seen an interrobang? It's a newly invented punctuation mark that looks like this: ‽ A question mark with an exclamation point superimposed, it's meant to convey that nuance of feeling—a mixture of query and surprise—that people have in mind when they say "Really?", also meaning...1968 November 15, William Zinsser, “For clear expression: Try words: The interrobang”, in Life, volume 65, number 20, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 24
- The Interrobang is not a font – just a single character. Yet it is so powerful a symbol, and such a flawed and original concept, that it deserves a place alongside the most adventurous typographic innovations of the last century. It is an exclamation mark and a question mark combined, a ligature...2011 September, Simon Garfield, “Breaking the Rules”, in Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, New York, N.Y.: Gotham Books, Penguin Group, →ISBN, page 268
- A combination of a question mark and an exclamation mark; ⟨!?⟩ or ⟨?!⟩.
- Interrobang — !?, ?!, or ‽ / What?! You’ve never heard of the interrobang!? Really? Well, now you have, so all is forgiven. An interrobang is […] used to end sentences where you really want both the exclamation point and the question mark. […] The word is used to describe both the two side by side...2014, Jamie Frater, “Top 10 Fascinating Typographical Origins”, in Listverse.com’s Ultimate Book of Bizarre Lists: Fascinating Facts and Astounding Trivia on Movies, Music, Crime, Celebrities...
- For instance, Taylor (2002: 568–570) discusses the ‘incredulity response construction’ in English as an example of a CI, exemplified by expressions such as Him write a novel?! and Me worry?! The CI has the schematic form of [nom_(sbj) v_(inf) (np)?!]. When written, it is often punctuated with an...2014, Kam-yiu S. Pang, “‘Overthrowing’ Yesterday’s ICM: (Re)focusing of Meaning in a Hong Kong Chinese (Cantonese) Constructional Idiom”, in Masataka Yamaguchi, Dennis Tay, Benjamin Blount, editors...
Verb
interrobang (third-person singular simple present interrobangs, present participle interrobanging, simple past and past participle interrobanged)
- To exclaim and question at the same time.
- “I think I can help Carli, but I have to move fast. Federal agents are going to descend on this place like locusts in about twenty minutes, max, and they’ll detain everyone. It’ll be days, at least, before they’re done interrobanging around.”1998, Laura J. Mixon, Proxies, page 270
- "Qhoenix!?" interrobanged Lrig Lanoisnemid-Eno. "You can't do this!"2009 12, Jacob Silvia, Qhoenix, Jacob P Silvia, →ISBN, page 190
interrobang meaning in Tamil
interrobang in Tamil
- வியப்பு வினா
Examples of interrobang in a sentence
- We don't need symbols like the interrobang that merely express our perpetual disbelief.1968 November 15, William Zinsser, “For clear expression: Try words: The interrobang”, in Life, volume 65, number 20, Chicago, Ill.; New...
- The Interrobang is not a font – just a single character.2011 September, Simon Garfield, “Breaking the Rules”, in Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, New York, N.Y.: Gotham Books, Penguin Group...
- Popular as it was with writers and admen, the interrobang faced a struggle for mainstream acceptance.2013, Keith Houston, “The Interrobang”, in Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks, New York...
- When written, it is often punctuated with an interrobang (‽ or ?!).2014, Kam-yiu S. Pang, “‘Overthrowing’ Yesterday’s ICM: (Re)focusing of Meaning in a Hong Kong Chinese (Cantonese) Constructional Idiom”...
Forms of interrobang
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | interrobangs |
| alternative form | interabang |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | interrobangs |
| present participle | interrobanging |
| past participle | interrobanged |
| past | interrobanged |
Origin of interrobang
A blend of French (point d')interrogation (“question mark”) or the equivalent term in another Romance language + bang (“exclamation mark, exclamation point”), coined in a 1962 article in the journal TYPEtalks by American advertising executive Martin Kiehra Speckter (1915–1988), who invented the symbol.
Words formed from interrobang
Questions about interrobang
- What does interrobang mean?
- Interrobang means the nonstandard punctuation mark ⟨‽⟩ (a combination of ⟨?⟩ and ⟨!⟩), which may be used at the end of a sentence to express excitement or disbelief, or to indicate that it is a rhetorical question.
- What is interrobang in Tamil?
- Interrobang in Tamil is வியப்பு வினா. See Interrobang meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use interrobang in a sentence?
- We don't need symbols like the interrobang that merely express our perpetual disbelief.
- What part of speech is interrobang?
- Interrobang can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce interrobang?
- Interrobang is pronounced /ɪnˈtɛ.ɹəʊˌbæŋ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of interrobang?
- The plural of interrobang is interrobangs.
Words near interrobang in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: interrobang (page history and authors); interrobang (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-interrobang.wav, En-us-interrobang.ogg.
Cite this entry: “interrobang.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/interrobang. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.