What is a period?

A period (.) is a punctuation symbol that can also be referred to as a full stop or a dot. It is typically found on the same US QWERTY keyboard key as the greater than (>) sign.

Where on the keyboard is the period?

The period keys on a computer keyboard are shown in the diagram below. The period key on U.S. keyboards is located right next to the question mark key. On keyboards with numeric keypads, the period key is also located right next to the Enter key.

How to create a period?

Creating the period symbol on a U.S. keyboard

The period and greater than (>) symbol are located on the same key on English PC and Mac keyboards. A period is produced when the period key is pressed alone.

Creating the period symbol on a smartphone or tablet

Open the keyboard on your smartphone or tablet, select the numbers (123) or symbols (sym) area, and then hit the "." symbol to add a period.

What function does a period have on a computer?

Here are some examples of how computers employ periods.

1. The file name and file extension are separated by a period on IBM-compatible machines and their operating systems. For instance, in the file "somefile.pdf," the file name "somefile" is distinct from the file extension "pdf."
2. In Linux, the current directory is denoted by a single period, and the parent directory is denoted by ".." (double periods or "dot dot").
3. In the Linux and Windows command lines, the cd command can be used with two periods to advance one directory.
4. The period is used to separate key URL components and to help build URLs. For instance, the https://www.javatpoint.com URL is the address reached using that protocol, while the rest of the URL is the address.
5. In programming code, it functions as a wildcard or is used as one.

What else is represented by the period key?

The greater than key, which may be displayed next to or above the period symbol on American keyboards, shares space with the period key. When Num Lock is not active, the period key on the keyboard's numeric keypad serves as the del key.

What is a period punctuation mark?

Any sentence meant to make a statement should end with a period, a little dot-shaped punctuation mark. The period should be positioned precisely behind the final letter of the sentence's final word, much like other punctuation marks used to terminate sentences.

Alternatively, the symbol can be used alone to denote omitted characters or repeatedly as an ellipsis (...) to denote omitted words. It may be positioned after the first letter of a name or after each letter in an initialism or acronym (e.g., "U.S.A."). Meanwhile, the use of full stops following acronyms or initialisms is waning, and many of them sans punctuation have established themselves as standard practice (e.g., "UK" and "NATO"). Compared to other English-speaking countries, the United States has seen a somewhat slower progression of this tendency.

How to Use Periods?

Place a single space after a period at the conclusion of a sentence before starting the following one. This guideline has only been in effect since word processing software became widely used; in the past, when people still used typewriters, one would place two spaces after periods and other sentence-ending punctuation.

Additionally, periods are used with abbreviations.

1. 6 a.m.
2. Washington, D.C.

The period that follows an abbreviation that concludes a statement, a directive, or an indirect question is also used to finish the sentence.

• If you want to visit the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History, you will need to travel to Washington, D.C.
• Arrive at 5:30 p.m. to get a seat for the concert; it begins at 6 p.m.

Even though they are abbreviations, acronyms typically don't need periods. You don't need to include periods between the letters if you're using an acronym that sounds like a word, like NOW, NATO, RADAR, or SCUBA. Periods may or may not be necessary if you are using an acronym that is spoken by speaking the letters one at a time. Instances include the FBI, NBA, NCAA, NAACP, USA, and UNICEF.