Emoticons

Emoticons (short for emotion icons) are keyboard characters used to produce quirky symbols designed to represent a range of emotions. Also known as smilies, they are used in Internet chat to express emotions that are difficult to communicate in a text-based environment. They can be used to show humour and to enhance and personalise what is essentially an impersonal method of communication.

The following table lists some of the most commonly used emoticons; simply tilt your head to the left in order to read them.