John Casey

Writing is rewriting; rewriting is writing - from the first crossed-out word in the first sentence to the last word inserted above a caret, that most helpful handwritten stroke.

A caret is often used by editors or during proofreading to indicate where additional text is required.

Editing Marks

In hand-written text, the caret stands out to signal changes, making it an effective visual tool.

Visual Clue

Unlike commas or periods, carets do not indicate a pause in reading; they're for editing.

Not a Pause

In coding, the caret often has a special function, like an operator, not related to text insertion.

Programming Significance

Remember, in programming contexts, the meaning of caret differs from general English usage.

Specific Meaning

While the caret resembles exponentiation in math, in programming, it usually isn't used for powers.

Caret