# Terminology: Brackets vs. Parentheses
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721
**Category:** Off-Topic
**Created:** [September 13, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721 "2025-09-13T15:58:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/1 "2025-09-13T15:58:55Z")
I often see posts that confuse these terms, usually by calling parentheses "brackets". That is not the correct term for these characters in English character lists, including Unicode.
I reviewed the character lists in English for ANSI, ASCII, Unicode, and HTML. In all lists, the curved **( )** characters are called _ **parentheses** _. Only the **[]** and the **{ }** characters are called _ **brackets** _.
So please, let's avoid confusion by using the correct terms here.
Now I am not so naive as to expect everyone to change their long-standing habits. But at least now everyone is on notice about this usage error 🙂
Reference: [Character Names in English](https://www.alanwood.net/demos/ansi.html)
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/2 "2025-09-13T16:18:12Z")
Thanks for that notice.
This is especially helpful for people like me as a non-native speaker!
So it should be
`(` = left parenthesis
`)` = right parenthesis
`[` = left square bracket
`]` = right square bracket
`{` = left curly bracket
`}` = right curly bracket
`()` are parentheses
`[]` and `{}` are brackets
Is this correct?
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/3 "2025-09-13T16:34:08Z")
Yes, that list is perfect. Thank you for posting the full list of names.
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### Author:  [@Patch](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Patch)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2025, 6:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/4 "2025-09-14T06:54:25Z")
I’m old.
Parenthesis are what we called “brackets” when we grew up and knew better.
But we were taught them (in English AND Maths at school) as Brackets.
But, uh, it doesn’t make sense to call Square Brackets, Square Brackets if you don’t have _normal_ brackets to differentiate from?
If we’re calling Brackets _Parenthesis_, then, Square Brackets should be called Square Parenthesis (which sounds stupid and will never catch on!).
This is a non-issue for me I’m afraid. Anyone can call them Brackets, or Parenthesis, and I’ll know exactly what they mean.
The terms are 100% interchangeable for me.
(But I agree in principle. Kind of. To me, it’s like calling Black text Black, or Automatic. Same thing.)
But also, we don’t call them left & right brackets/parenthesis. We call them opening and closing brackets/parenthesis.
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/5 "2025-09-14T16:28:14Z")
> [@Patch](#):
>
> But we were taught them (in English AND Maths at school) as Brackets.
Not in my schools in the USA. Anyway, imprecise terminology then does not justify the same now. Something called the Internet has happened since then....
> [@Patch](#):
>
> Anyone can call them Brackets, or Parenthesis, and I’ll know exactly what they mean.
In Mp3tag expressions, the enclosure type can make the difference between an expression that works and one that does not. So in this forum, precise language really does matter.
> [@Patch](#):
>
> ... it doesn’t make sense to call Square Brackets, Square Brackets ?
I never suggested using the term "Square Brackets".
The reference that I provided shows the internationally-accepted character names in English. Your argument is with the bodies that assigned those names, not with me.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/6 "2025-09-14T20:22:22Z")
Even though the correct terms may be as described, I still think that this forum has a lot of participants whose native language is not English (including me).
These contributors may have to rely on translation tools or other means that may lead translations that are not quite up to the mark - but I am sure that we all will do our best to interpret them in the best matching ways.
E.g. the German word "Klammer" - which is accurate for the round ones - translates as follows according to the widley used [Leo](https://dict.leo.org/englisch-deutsch/klammer) site:
So if you take the first hit, you end up with "bracket". It only works the other way round: if you translate "Parenthesis" back into German, you get "runde Klammer" (and not the other ones).
So I think we will still need to ask if there are any doubts if someone writes about "brackets".
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2025, 12:36am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/7 "2025-09-15T00:36:44Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> So I think we will still need to ask if there are any doubts if someone writes about "brackets".
Ohrenkino, I agree with you completely.
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### Author:  [@AreDigg](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/AreDigg)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2025, 6:30am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/8 "2025-09-15T06:30:35Z")
According to Wikipedia \*\* [Bracket - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracket) \*\*, so it seems it is depending on whether you use Queens (Kings) or Presidents English.
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### Author:  [@7stones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/7stones)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2025, 2:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/9 "2025-09-15T14:26:26Z")
> [@Doug\_Mackie](#):
>
> calling parentheses "brackets". That is not the correct term for these characters in English.
It is in England. There's even "soft brackets" and "hard brackets".
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2025, 3:41pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/10 "2025-09-15T15:41:03Z")
> [@7stones](#):
>
> It is in England. There's even "soft brackets" and "hard brackets".
That is irrelevant. My point was about the Internet standard names for characters used (or not) _in this forum_ and in Mp3tag expressions. So, if you can, please provide a link to a Unicode character list in English that contradicts my reference names above.
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2025, 3:55pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/11 "2025-09-15T15:55:00Z")
> [@AreDigg](#):
>
> According to Wikipedia \*\* [Bracket - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracket) \*\*, so it seems it is depending on whether you use Queens (Kings) or Presidents English.
My post was about the Internet standard names for characters used (or not) in this forum and in Mp3tag expressions. That is why I provided a link to the character lists.
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### Author:  [@AreDigg](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/AreDigg)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2025, 5:21pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/12 "2025-09-15T17:21:08Z")
> [@Doug\_Mackie](#):
>
> My post was about the Internet standard names for characters used (or not) in this forum and in Mp3tag expressions. That is why I provided a link to the character lists.
I understand the concern, but I think it is unrealistic. No one will look up an Unicode table or any other table to find the correct term, especially because it is ambiguous and the forum have a large group of non English and also non technical people.
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### Author:  [@Doug\_Mackie](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Doug_Mackie)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2025, 7:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/terminology-brackets-vs-parentheses/69721/13 "2025-09-15T19:25:14Z")
> [@AreDigg](#):
>
> I understand the concern, but I think it is unrealistic...
Perhaps but surely that is not a reason to avoid the character name issue altogether. The regular responders here may find the standard list useful (one of them already has).
> [@AreDigg](#):
>
> ... the forum have a large group of non English and also non technical people
Sure, and that is all the more reason for responders here to introduce them to the correct character names. That is all that I am suggesting.