While reading through the news or articles that are being published online nowadays, many people tend to get confused between a few letters. Like 0 (Zero) & O (Capital o), I (capital i) & l (small L). To help you out we have prepared a little guide on how to differentiate between O & 0, I & l.
Though the computer reads these letters differently as the computer reads in binary. But for the human eye they seem a bit similar and leading to confusion. Especially in cases where you have to get it right like when entering a captcha when required, or while entering passwords.
It’s not your fault if you’re not able to differentiate between these letters and characters. It’s just that many times online reading material using such a font which makes it a bit difficult to understand what is what. Major confusion occurs in the case of the number Zero and capital O, and Capital i and small L.
Differentiate between O & 0
There is a subtle difference between these two characters making it a bit hard to interpret. But still, there are ways to differentiate between the two whenever confused.
- Copy that part of the text which contains these two characters and paste it in MS word. You can then go and change the font or font size according to your will. You will then easily be able to tell the difference between the two. When you have identified which is the number zero and which is the capital o, you use that and refer to what you were reading so you don’t make any further mistakes.
- If you want to differentiate between them without doing much effort, well then just observe these characters for a while. The capital O is completely round and appears to be bigger than the number zero in size. While the number zero is a bit skinny and can be spotted with ease only if you observe.
- If you are still confused you can just see where the capital O and number 0 is placed. Try to make some sense of the wording or number and will help you out.
- You can even select the character and place it in your browser address, it will start recommending some websites from which you can guess what the true meaning of the character is.
Differentiate between capital i and small L
Another set of words which cause major confusion among people as to what is the right one. It’s a bit difficult to tell apart.
- If the letter is standing on its own like “I cloud”, this will definitely be a capital I, as it is more frequently placed alone in sentences than in comparison to small L.
- If you want to differentiate between them more accurately, check to see where these letters have been placed. Like, try to make sense of the words in which capital I and small L have been placed. It is more like a hit and trial method but it is effective.
- You can also copy the words in MS word and change their fonts to see what the result is. Change the font size and fonts, then when you get to know which letter is placed where try to use that as a reference for what you’re reading.
- Another distinguishable factor may be that capital i is completely straight and vertical. While small L has a bit of a curve on both ends, it may even have a curve or a little portion coming out of it from one side.
- You can even select the letter and place it in your browser address, it will start recommending some websites from which you can guess what the true meaning of the letter is.
Wrapping up
Well, that is all folks hope you found this guide to be useful and at your disposal. These mere confusions may cause major problems in important situations. So, it is recommended that you try to understand which letter is what and confuse between them.
