Decimaltecknet

Decimaltecknet (Swedish: "the decimal sign" or "decimal separator") is the symbol used to separate the integer part from the fractional part of a decimal numeral. The two most common forms are the decimal point (.) and the decimal comma (,), with regional conventions determining which is used in writing, printing and computing.

Historically the decimal point became widespread in English-speaking countries and in many computing standards, while the decimal comma is standard in much of continental Europe and parts of Latin America. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) accepts either a point on the line or a comma on the line as the decimal marker, but recommends consistency within a document or dataset.

In computing and programming, the dot is dominant in source code and many data formats; locale-aware software may display numbers with a comma for users whose regional settings specify it. Using a comma as the decimal separator alongside comma-separated file formats (CSV) can cause ambiguity, so alternative delimiters or quoting are commonly used. Unicode contains several characters related to decimal marking for different scripts, and internationalization best practices address parsing, formatting and user interface presentation.

Beyond punctuation, decimaltecknet choices influence numerical readability, data interchange and voice communication conventions. Financial, scientific and technical publications typically follow national standards or the style rules of publishers and organizations to avoid misinterpretation.