What does caret mean?
A caret is a small proofreading mark shaped like an inverted V (^), used to show exactly where a letter, word, phrase, or punctuation mark has been omitted and needs to be inserted. Editors place it beneath or within a line of handwritten or typeset text, with the missing material written above or beside it. The name comes from the Latin verb carere, meaning 'to lack' — fittingly, since the mark signals that something is absent from the text. Beyond traditional proofreading, the caret symbol lives on in modern computing, where it appears on keyboards, denotes exponentiation in some programming contexts, and marks the position of the text cursor. Although primarily a technical term familiar mainly to editors, writers, and programmers, the caret remains an essential tool of the editing trade, and distinguishing it from its homophones 'carat' and 'carrot' is a classic spelling pitfall.
nounA caret is a small mark (^) used in writing and proofreading to indicate the place where something—such as a letter, word, or punctuation—is to be inserted.
- A mark (^) placed beneath a line of text in writing or proofreading to indicate the point at which omitted material should be inserted.
"The editor placed a caret between the two words to show where 'not' had been omitted."
"Insert the missing comma by placing a caret just above the line."
"Her manuscript came back covered in red ink, carets marking every dropped word."
Regular plural formation; used when referring to multiple insertion marks on a page or document.
"The first draft was so full of gaps that the margins were crowded with carets."
The word 'caret' literally means 'it lacks' in Latin — the mark exists precisely because something is missing from your sentence.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of caret
The word 'caret' comes directly from the Latin caret, meaning 'it lacks' or 'there is wanting', the third-person singular of carere ('to lack'). It was adopted into English in the late seventeenth century by printers and proofreaders who used the Latin term to name their insertion mark. The same Latin root gives us 'charity' and 'cherish', both descended from related forms conveying what is dear or needed.
How caret is actually used
Primarily a technical term used in editing, proofreading, typography, and computing contexts; rarely encountered in casual conversation. In digital interfaces, the same symbol often represents a text cursor or an expandable menu.
Easily confused with caret
A carat is a unit of weight for gemstones (or purity as karat), while a caret is the ^ proofreading mark showing where text should be inserted.
A carrot is an edible orange root vegetable, whereas a caret is a written insertion mark; the two sound nearly identical but share nothing in meaning.
A circumflex is an accent mark placed over a vowel in languages like French, while a caret sits below the line of text to signal an insertion.