While reading, have you ever come across these kinds of punctuation marks (‽) or this (?!)?
This is an interrobang—the combination of a question mark and an exclamation point. It’s a modern, non-standard punctuation mark. But what on earth does it do‽
What is an Interrobang?
An interrobang, or interabang, indicates that a sentence is both a question and an exclamation. Its name comes from interrogation point (the technical term for a question mark) and bang (printer’s slang for the exclamation mark).
Martin K. Speckter, an advertising executive, is credited with inventing the interrobang in 1962. He believed that advertisements could better convey surprise and incredulity using a single mark.
It’s never gained mainstream popularity or acceptance, particularly in formal writing. However, it has found a niche in informal writing, such as online communication and advertising, where it makes a useful and eye-catching tool.
The interrobang’s glyph is represented as “‽” but is also commonly depicted as “?!” or “!?”. This is mainly because there isn’t a dedicated key for typing it on a keyboard. It’s just quicker to use the two marks than writing its unicode (U+203D) or finding it in whatever “special characters” tab you have.
How to use the Interrobang
The interrobang is meant to be used for moments where you want to ask a question but also express your incredulity. It is often best used with rhetorical questions.
- You did what‽
- What were you thinking‽
- You spent how much on a phone‽
- Are you out of your mind‽
- Who the hell‽
- What did you do‽
- For real‽
- She broke up with you‽
- They expect us to work in these conditions‽
It’s an expressive punctuation, making it popular in informal writing. People often use it to make their texts, emails, or social media content livelier.
Should you use an interrobang?
Well, conventionalists will argue that a sentence can only end with one punctuation mark. It’s the rule! A better way is to find out what a sentence is conveying and then use the proper punctuation.
More progressive grammarians will tell you it’s okay to use an interrobang. Punctuation should evolve with the use of language. An interrobang adds nuance to a sentence, giving people more context on how to interpret its meaning.
That debate aside, people do largely agree that interrobangs shouldn’t be used for formal writing. It’s considered poor writing and inappropriate for most contexts of formal writing, such as academic or business writing.
It’s always safer to use a question or exclamation mark. Then again, formal writing also discourages the use of the second.
Interrobangs: Is it ?! or !?
Despite its infrequent use, there’s no consensus on how an interrobang should be written. Should it be a question mark first or an exclamation point? Here are different thoughts on it.
It doesn’t matter.
There is no difference between?! and !?. They are interchangeable ways to write an interrobang because they convey the same thing.
- Did you take my car?!
- You took my car!?
The first is asking a question while also conveying incredulity because you already know the answer. The second still asks a question while being shocked. They’re the same thing!
And because it’s all the same, why not just use “‽”, the blended symbol? This gets rid of the debate on which needs to go first.
It depends on the context.
This is, perhaps, the most popular take. Depending on what you want to say, one punctuation should be used first instead of the other.
“?!” is used to emphasize a question, indicating a desire for an answer. On the other hand, “!?” is used to highlight something shocking or incredible. In this case, you already know what it is, but you’re attempting to understand it better. It’s a matter of whether you’re emphasizing an exclamation or a question.
Even chess follows this distinction. When annotating chess moves, “?!” is used to indicate a dubious move while “!?” is used to signify an interesting one.
Only one is correct.
Some people will argue that interrobangs are mainly used with questions, so the question mark should come first.
Others say that “!?” is more aesthetically pleasing than “?!”. They also argue that since interrobangs are primarily used with questions, the question mark should be placed last to emphasize the question’s original nature.
At this point, it seems to be mostly a matter of interest. Use whatever you want to use or think is most appropriate. Leave it to the grammarians to hash out what’s correct.
What’s your opinion on interrobangs? Share it in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- How to Use an Exclamation Point Properly
- The Question Mark: Everything You Should Know
- The Ellipsis: What Is It and How Should You Use It?
- Parentheses: How and When to Use Them
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
