The Sarcastimark

What is it?

Written sarcasm can be difficult to recognise. Without tone of voice, facial expressions or context, a perfectly sincere sentence and a sarcastic one can look exactly the same.

The sarcastimark — !᭨ — is a proposed punctuation convention intended to solve that problem.

“It’s basically an exclamation mark with a little ‘yeah, I don’t actually mean that’ attached to it.”

The ! retains its usual exclamatory function, whilst ᭨ signals that the preceding statement is sarcastic. A simple addition to the punctuation family, really.

Examples

Genuine sarcasm

“Oh yes, because that sounds like a fantastic plan!᭨”

Dry humour

“Lovely. Another meeting. Exactly what I needed!᭨”

Obvious irony

“I absolutely love waiting three hours for a train!᭨”

Don't overuse it

The mark is most useful when the reader might otherwise mistake sarcasm for sincerity. Let the sarcasm speak for itself.

Why !᭨?

!᭨ — recommended “What could possibly go wrong!᭨”

The exclamation mark retains its normal position, with the sarcasm marker appended afterwards.

᭨! — alternative “What could possibly go wrong᭨!”

Interesting, but it makes the new character feel more like part of the sentence's main punctuation.

Convention: Use !᭨ at the end of a sarcastic exclamation. Other sentence endings can retain their normal punctuation where appropriate.

How to start using it?

Until the sarcastimark is supported natively by keyboards, applications and fonts, there are several easy ways to start incorporating it into your everyday writing.

1. Copy & paste

The easiest method. Keep this handy:

!᭨

2. Use a text shortcut

Configure your operating system to automatically turn a short trigger such as ;s or /s into !᭨.

3. Use the userscript

If you regularly write in your browser, a userscript can automatically replace /s with !᭨.

4. Just type it

If your keyboard and application support the character, simply insert !᭨ directly.

Browser userscript

One practical way to start using the sarcastimark everywhere in your browser is with a userscript manager such as Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or another compatible extension.

Install a userscript manager

Install a compatible userscript extension for your browser, then create a new userscript.

Paste the script below

Save the script and make sure it is enabled.

Type /s

When writing in a text field, textarea or supported contenteditable editor, /s will be replaced with !᭨.

// ==UserScript==
// @name         Replace /s with !᭨
// @namespace    https://sarcastimark.com
// @version      1.0
// @author       Bradán Maolfhoghmhair (bmrtfm)
// @description  Replaces /s with !᭨ in input fields, textareas, and contenteditable elements.
// @match        *://*/*
// @grant        none
// @run-at       document-end
// ==/UserScript==

(function () {
    'use strict';

    function replaceText(element) {
        if (element.tagName === 'INPUT' || element.tagName === 'TEXTAREA') {
            const start = element.selectionStart;
            const end = element.selectionEnd;
            const value = element.value;

            if (value.includes('/s')) {
                const newValue = value.replace(/\/s/g, '!᭨');
                const diff = value.length - newValue.length;
                element.value = newValue;
                element.setSelectionRange(start - diff, end - diff);
            }
        } else if (element.isContentEditable) {
            const selection = window.getSelection();
            if (!selection.rangeCount) return;

            const range = selection.getRangeAt(0);
            const node = range.startContainer;

            if (node.nodeType === Node.TEXT_NODE &&
                node.nodeValue.includes('/s')) {

                const cursorOffset = range.startOffset;
                const originalLength = node.nodeValue.length;

                node.nodeValue =
                    node.nodeValue.replace(/\/s/g, '!᭨');

                // Adjust selection to maintain natural typing feel
                const lengthDiff =
                    originalLength - node.nodeValue.length;

                const newOffset = Math.max(
                    0,
                    cursorOffset - lengthDiff
                );

                try {
                    range.setStart(node, newOffset);
                    range.setEnd(node, newOffset);

                    selection.removeAllRanges();
                    selection.addRange(range);
                } catch (e) {
                    // Fallback for edge cases in rich text editors
                }
            }
        }
    }

    document.addEventListener('input', (event) => {
        replaceText(event.target);
    }, true);
})();

Tip: You can change the trigger from /s to another combination if you prefer. For example, ;s may be less likely to appear accidentally in normal writing.

macOS text replacement

macOS has built-in text replacements, making it particularly easy to adopt the sarcastimark without installing anything.

Open System Settings

Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements.

Add a replacement

Add a new text replacement. Use something memorable such as ;s as the shortcut.

Set the replacement

Set the replacement text to:

!᭨

Use it anywhere

In compatible applications, typing your shortcut should automatically produce !᭨.

Windows

Windows users have several options depending on how widely they want the shortcut to work.

PowerToys

Microsoft's PowerToys includes keyboard-related utilities that can be used to create convenient shortcuts and workflows. A dedicated text-expansion tool can also be used if available in your setup.

AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey can be configured to replace a short trigger such as ;s with !᭨ across Windows applications.

Clipboard

For occasional use, simply copy the mark from this page and keep it somewhere easily accessible.

!᭨

On mobile

iPhone & iPad

Use the built-in text replacement feature in iOS/iPadOS. Add a shortcut such as ;s and set the phrase to !᭨.

Android

Most Android keyboards provide a personal dictionary, text shortcut or text-correction feature. Add your preferred shortcut and set its replacement to !᭨.

Universal fallback: bookmark this page, copy !᭨ whenever you need it, or save it as a personal keyboard shortcut.

Until it's everywhere

New punctuation conventions do not become standard overnight. The easiest way to encourage adoption is simply to start using the mark consistently.

Use it naturally

Start using !᭨ in messages, posts, comments and conversations where sarcasm might otherwise be ambiguous.

Introduce it to friends

When someone asks what it means, explain that !᭨ is the sarcastimark: punctuation for sarcasm.

Make it habitual

Set up an operating-system shortcut so using the mark becomes as effortless as typing an ordinary exclamation mark.

Let adoption follow

If enough people use it, keyboards, fonts, applications and communication platforms may eventually have reason to support it directly.

“And I propose we shall call it the sarcastimark!᭨”