How do I type a backwards question mark?

؟ <- This? (It may not show up when I click post--it's an uncommon character.)

I'm not sure how to type it. I copied and pasted from wikipedia:
<a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony_punctuation

It shows up for me. Here it is again: ؟

I don't see any info on how to type it either. But to se what I wrote, you may need to go to your View menu in your browser, and change your text encoding to Unicode (UTF-8).

If you are able to use Unicode, directly (the code numbers to create the item) such as some
have been able to do in Mac OS X 10.6 and windows OS versions, in Leopard 10.5.8, that
would be one way to get the Irony Mark (an Arabic symbol does a similar visual icon) but I
am not certain the OS X 10.5.8 can use the unicode to create ؟ a backward question mark.

So many of the search results only tell one how to make the equivalent of upside down
question marks such as a Spanish language use may employ at the front of a sentence.

Short of changing the language in use, in the computer, to use an Arabic symbol, it is easier
to copy-paste the item; or try & see if the numerical code for the ؟ symbol works in OS X...

"...use Command optionT to bring up your special characters. Then search for the code 061F.
It's the Arabic question mark, but it's darn well close enough. That English punctuation is most
easily found in another language؟! But I have OS10.6. Not sure how it works in others. That's the
unicode, anyhow..." - +quoted from mahalo member kaiwakermanpowell, found via search.+

*Mirrored question mark*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirroredquestion_mark#Mirrored_questionmark

Not to be confused with Irony mark:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironymark#Ironymark

In Arabic and languages that use Arabic script and were influenced by the Arabic language such as Persian
and Urdu, which are written from right to left, the question mark ؟ is mirrored right-to-left from the English
question mark. (Some browsers may display the character in the previous sentence as a forward question
mark due to font or text directionality issues.) - And issues arise when entering the backward ? mark in a
line of text, at least in this discussion reply window, under certain circumstances.

There are at least three unicode numbers which could create a backward/mirrored question mark...
One could attempt to utilized these codes direct in certain documents created by supported software,
if not directly via the OS X & keyboard commands to access the point one could enter an exact code.

Depending on which code is represented by the alternative languages in the OS, for the symbol
desired (there are at least three, and in use will vary in meaning due to historical precedent) it
may be possible to get the OS to draw from the font in another language, if available within it.

If you can enter the unicode to have the correct symbol appear, it may circumvent the need to copy/paste.
I have not tried adding unusual items in a body of text; and am familiar with the Keyboard and Character
viewers in OS X, and some of the options in OS 9.2.2, etc.

Not sure if there is an answer in these other angles to approach the question, if the OS does not
support the uni-code numbers which represent the symbol in the other languages it has available.

Is there a way to use a Font manager to access additional fonts that are otherwise available to
the other languages one may already have installed via a full OS X 10.5.8 & later, system?

Anyway, it is only a discussion...
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

There isn't a keystroke for it, but you can create one in some applications.

Firstly, you can insert it into text by using the Character Viewer. If necessary go to System Preferences>Language & Text>Input Sources. Check 'Keyboard & Character Viewer' at top left and 'Show Input menu in menu bar' at the bottom.

A flag for your set language will appear if you have more than one language selected in the list,
otherwise an icon ( a square containing and asterisk and some dots). Click on this and select 'Show Character Viewer'.

In the left section click the disclosure triangle next to 'Puncuation', then when it opens click 'Punctuation'. Scroll down and you will see the ⸮ (the reverse question mark- may not show in all browsers) - click it to highlight it and then click 'Insert' at the bottom to insert it into your text. (Some fonts may not contain this character.)

Now to make a keystroke. Go to System Preferences>Language & Text>Text. You will see a list called 'Symbol and Text Substitution'. Click the '+' sign at the bottom. In the new entry which opens type two characters - I suggest ! followed by ? - into the 'replace' column (you may need to click twice in the field to enable it) and in the 'With' column use the Character viewer as described above to enter ⸮ (reverse question mark). Close System Prefs.

In your chosen application, for example TextEdit, from the Edit menu choose Substitutions then Text Replacement.

Now type !? followed by a space and the two characters will be replaced with ⸮. You can do this in TextEdit and Safari (only when you are in a text entry field).

In Pages you can do the same thing by a different route: Pages Preferences>Auto-correction, check Symbol & Text substitution, and you can set it up in the same way.

The information in my previous post pertains to Snow Leopard: I don't have Leopard, but checkin in the Pogue book indicates that the Text Substitution was new to Snow Leopard (the System Prefs pane in question was called 'International'). However you can still use the Character Viewer - System Preferences>International>Input ~Menu>check Character Pallette. The Pages substitution will presumably still work.

It didn't show up

The Arabic one, U+061F (؟), should always show up unless the Arabic fonts have all been removed from your OS.

The other version, U+2E2E (⸮), is only contained in a few fonts and will not show up unless you have one of them. Snow Leopard includes two such fonts, Geneva Regular and Menlo, but Leopard has none I think.

http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2e2e/fontsupport.htm