This article is a list of standard proofreader's marks used to indicate and correct problems in a text. The marks may be abstract symbols, abbreviations, or (in some cases) entire spelled-out words. These are usually handwritten on the paper containing the text. These indicators are interleaved in the text or placed in margins. Different languages use different proofreading marks and sometimes publishers have their own in-house proofreading marks.
Indicates that proofreading marks should be ignored and the copy unchanged
tr
transpose
Transpose the two words selected
wf
Wrong font
Put text in correct font
ww
Wrong word
Wrong word used (e.g. to/too)
Symbols
Text annotated with proofreading marks to the ISO 5776 standard
Most, but not all, of these symbols can be found in The Chicago Manual of Style. If Unicode contains a character that can be confidently identified with the symbol, its codepoint will be listed; otherwise the symbol in the symbol column is either an image, an html creation, or a typographical approximation using a similar unicode symbol.
Insert punctuation (the punctuation mark wanted is shown inside the circle.)
Manuscripts
Depending on local conventions, selected text may be underscored (underlined) to indicate any special formatting or typeface to be used, with an explanatory abbreviation written in the margin.
The more common conventions are these:
single dashed underline for stet, 'let it stand', proof-reading mark cancelled. The margin note stet / may be added.
single straight underline for italic type
single wavy underline for bold type
double straight underline for small caps
double underline of one straight line and one wavy line for bold italic
triple underline for FULL CAPITAL LETTERS (used among small caps or to change text already typed as lower case).
The style guide for publications of the European Union is presented in 24 European languages and includes a section on proofreading. Each edition has a sheet of proofreader's marks that appears to be the same apart from the language used to describe the marks. The section cautions that "it should be realised that the typesetter may not understand the language in which the text is written".
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