View source for Macron (diacritic)

{{short description|Diacritical mark}}
{{distinguish|overline|bar (diacritic)}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|O macron|Omicron}}
{{Redirect-multi|3|O-|Ī|Ū|the o- prefix in Japanese|Japanese honorifics|the Indic vowels|Ī (Indic)|and|Ū (Indic)}}
{{Other uses|Macron (disambiguation){{!}}Macron}}
{{Infobox diacritic|char=◌&#x0304;
|name=Macron
|unicode={{unichar|00AF|macron}}<br/>
{{unichar|0304|cwith=◌|combining macron}}
|see_also={{Unichar|0331|COMBINING MACRON BELOW|cwith=◌| nlink=Macron below}}<br />{{unichar|203E}}<br />{{unichar|0305|cwith=}}
}}

A '''macron''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|æ|k|r|ɒ|n|,_|ˈ|m|eɪ|-}} {{respell|MAK|ron|,_|MAY|-}}) is a [[diacritical mark]]: it is a straight bar {{char|¯}} placed above a letter, usually a [[vowel]]. Its name derives from [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|μακρόν}} (''makrón'') 'long' because it was originally used to mark [[syllable weight#Classical poetry|long or heavy]] [[syllable]]s in [[meter (poetry)#Greek and Latin|Greco-Roman metrics]]. It now more often marks a [[vowel length|long]] [[vowel]]. In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], the macron is used to indicate a [[tone (linguistics)|mid-tone]]; the sign for a long vowel is instead a modified triangular [[Colon (punctuation)#Diacritical usage|colon]] {{angbr IPA|ː}}.

The opposite is the [[breve]] {{angbr|˘}}, which marks a short or light syllable or a short vowel.

==Uses==
{{Citations needed|date=October 2024}}

===Syllable weight===
In [[meter (poetry)#Greek and Latin|Greco-Roman metrics]] and in the description of the metrics of other literatures, the macron was introduced and is still widely used in dictionaries and educational materials to mark a [[syllable weight#Classical poetry|long (heavy) syllable]]. Even relatively recent classical Greek and Latin dictionaries<ref>P.G.W. Glare (ed.), ''Oxford Latin Dictionary'' (Oxford at the Clarendon Press 1990), p. xxiii: ''Vowel quantities. Normally, only long vowels in a metrically indeterminate position are marked''.</ref> are still concerned with indicating only the length (weight) of syllables; that is why most still do not indicate the length of vowels in syllables that are otherwise metrically determined. Many textbooks about Ancient Rome and Greece use the macron, even if it was not actually used at that time (an [[Apex (diacritic)|apex]] was used if vowel length was marked in Latin).

===Vowel length===
The following languages or transliteration systems use the macron to mark [[vowel length|long vowels]]:

* [[Slavicist]]s use the macron to indicate a non-tonic long vowel, or a non-tonic syllabic liquid, such as on ''a'', ''e'', ''r'', or ''u''. Languages with this feature include standard and dialect varieties of [[Silesian language|Silesian]], [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]], [[Slovene language|Slovene]], and [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]].<ref>Годечкият Говор от Михаил Виденов,Издателство на българската академия на науките,София, 1978, p. 19: ...характерни за всички селища от годечкия говор....Подобни случай са характерни и за книжовния език-Ст.Стойков, Увод във фонетиката на българския език, стр. 151.. {{in lang|bg}}</ref>
* Transcriptions of [[Arabic language|Arabic]] typically use macrons to indicate long vowels – {{lang|ar|ا}} ([[aleph|alif]] when pronounced {{IPA|/aː/}}), {{lang|ar|و}} ([[waw (letter)|waw]], when pronounced {{IPA|/uː/}} or {{IPA|/oː/}}), and {{lang|ar|ي}} ([[yodh|ya']], when pronounced {{IPA|/iː/}} or {{IPA|/eː/}}). Thus the Arabic word {{lang|ar|ثلاثة}} (three) is transliterated ''ṯalāṯah''.
*Transcriptions of [[Sanskrit]] typically use a macron over ā, ī, ū, ṝ, and ḹ in order to mark a long vowel (e and o are always long and consequently do not need any macron).{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* In [[Latin]], many of the more recent dictionaries and learning materials use the macron as the modern equivalent of the ancient Roman [[Apex (diacritic)|apex]] to mark long vowels. Any of the six vowel letters ''(ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ȳ)'' can bear it. It is sometimes used in conjunction with the [[breve]], especially to distinguish the short vowels {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} from their semi-vowel counterparts {{IPA|/j/}} and {{IPA|/w/}}, originally, and often to this day, spelt with the same letters. However, the older of these editions are not always explicit on whether they mark long vowels or heavy syllables – a confusion that is even found in some modern learning materials. In addition, most of the newest academic publications use both the macron and the breve sparingly, mainly when vowel length is relevant to the discussion.
*In [[romanization of Greek|romanization]] of [[ancient Greek|classical Greek]], the letters [[η]] (''eta'') and [[ω]] (''omega'') are transliterated, respectively, as ''ē'' and ''ō'', representing the long vowels of classical Greek, whereas the short vowels [[ε]] (''epsilon'') and [[ο]] (''omicron'') are always transliterated as plain ''e'' and ''o.'' The other long vowel phonemes do not have dedicated letters in the [[Greek alphabet]], being indicated by digraphs (transliterated likewise as digraphs) or by the letters [[Alpha|α]], [[Iota|ι]], [[Upsilon|υ]] – represented as ''ā, ī, ū''. The same three letters are transliterated as plain ''a, i, u'' when representing short vowels.
* The [[Hepburn romanization]] system of [[Japanese language|Japanese]], for example, ''tā'' ({{lang|ja|たあ}}) as opposed to ''ta'' ({{lang|ja|た}}).
* The [[Syriac language]] uses macrons to indicate long vowels in its romanized transliteration: ''ā'' for {{IPA|/aː/}}, ''ē'' for {{IPA|/eː/}}, ''ū'' for {{IPA|/uː/}} and ''ō'' for {{IPA|/ɔː/}}.
* [[Baltic languages]] and [[Baltic-Finnic languages]]:
** [[Latvian language|Latvian]]. ''ā'', ''ē'', ''ī'', ''ū'' are separate letters but are given the same position in [[collation]] as ''a'', ''e'', ''i'', ''u'' respectively. ''Ō'' was also used in Latvian, but it was discarded as of 1946.<ref>{{cite book |title=Latviešu valoda vidusskolām |author=Iluta Dalbiņa un Inese Lāčauniece |year=2001 |publisher=RaKa |location=Rīga |isbn=978-9984-46-130-4 |page=110}}</ref> Some usage remains in [[Latgalian language|Latgalian]].
** [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]. ''ū'' is a separate letter but is given the same position in [[collation]] as the unaccented ''u''. It marks a long vowel; other long vowels are indicated with an [[ogonek]] (which used to indicate nasalization, but it no longer does): ''ą'', ''ę'', ''į'', ''ų'' and ''o'' being always long in Lithuanian except for some recent loanwords. For the long counterpart of ''i'', ''y'' is used.
** [[Livonian language|Livonian]]. ''ā'', ''ǟ'', ''ē'', ''ī'', ''ō'', ''ȱ'', ''ȭ'' and ''ū'' are separate letters that sort in alphabetical order immediately after ''a'', ''ä'', ''e'', ''i'', ''o'', ''ȯ'', ''õ'', and ''u'', respectively.
** [[Samogitian language|Samogitian]]. ''ā'', ''ē'', ''ė̄'', ''ī'', ''ū'' and ''ō'' are separate letters that sort in alphabetical order immediately after ''a'', ''e'', ''ė'', ''i'', ''u'' and ''o'' respectively.
* Transcriptions of [[Nahuatl]], the [[Aztecs]]' language, spoken in [[Mexico]]. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, they wrote the language in their own alphabet without distinguishing long vowels. Over a century later, in 1645, [[Horacio Carochi]] defined macrons to mark long vowels ''ā'', ''ē'', ''ī'' and ''ō'', and short vowels with grave (`) accents. This is rare nowadays since many people write Nahuatl without any orthographic sign and with the letters ''k'', ''s'' and ''w'', not present in the original alphabet.
* Modern transcriptions of [[Old English]], for long vowels.
* Latin transliteration of [[Pali]] and [[Sanskrit]], and in the [[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]] and [[ISO 15919]] transcriptions of [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] and [[Dravidian languages]].
*[[Polynesian languages]]:
**[[Cook Islands Māori]]. In Cook Islands Māori, the macron or ''mākarōna'' is not commonly used in writing, but is used in references and teaching materials for those learning the language.<ref>Buse, Jasper with Taringa, Raututi (Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moeka{{okina}}a, eds.). (1996). ''Cook Islands Maori Dictionary with English-Cook Islands Maori Finder List.'' Avarua, Rarotonga: The Ministry of Education, Government of the Cook Islands; The School of Oriental and African Studies, The University of London; The Institute of Pacific Studies, The University of the South Pacific; The Centre for Pacific Studies, The University of Auckland; Pacific Linguistics, The Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University.</ref><ref>Carpentier, Tai Tepuaoterā Turepu and Beaumont, Clive. (1995). ''Kai kōrero: A Cook Islands Maori Language Coursebook.'' Auckland, New Zealand: Pasifika Press.</ref>
**{{anchor|Kahakō}}[[Hawaiian alphabet|Hawaiian]]. The macron is called ''kahakō'', and it indicates vowel length, which changes meaning and the placement of [[stress (linguistics)|stress]].
**{{anchor|Tohutō}}[[Māori language#Long vowels|Māori]]. In modern written Māori, the macron is used to designate long vowels, with the [[trema (diacritic)|trema]] mark sometimes used if the macron is unavailable (e.g. "wähine").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/english/unicode/macrons_issues.shtml|title=Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori|website=www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz|access-date=2008-09-02|archive-date=2015-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113071200/http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/english/unicode/macrons_issues.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Māori word for macron is ''tohutō.'' The term ''pōtae'' ("hat") is also used.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kupu.maori.nz/about/macrons|title=Macrons|website=kupu.maori.nz|access-date=2017-10-08}}</ref> In the past, writing in Māori either did not distinguish vowel length, or doubled long vowels (e.g. "waahine"), as some [[iwi]] dialects still do.
**[[Niuean language|Niuean]]. In Niuean, "popular spelling" does not worry too much about vowel quantity (length), so the macron is primarily used in scholarly study of the language.<ref>Sperlich, Wolfgang B. (ed.) (1997). ''Tohi vagahau Niue – Niue language dictionary: Niuen-English with English-Niuean finderlist.'' Honolulu: University of Hawaii at Manoa Department of Linguistics.</ref>
** [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]]. The use of the macron is comparatively recent in Tahitian. The ''Fare Vāna{{okina}}a'' or ''Académie Tahitienne'' (Tahitian Academy) recommends using the macron, called the ''tārava,'' to represent long vowels in written text, especially for scientific or teaching texts<ref>Académie Tahitienne. (1986). ''Grammaire de la langue tahitienne.'' Papeete, Tahiti: Fare Vāna{{okina}}a.</ref><ref>Académie Tahitienne. (1999). ''Dictionnaire tahitien-français: Fa{{okina}}atoro parau tahiti-farāni.'' Papeete, Tahiti: Fare Vāna{{okina}}a.</ref> and it has widespread acceptance.<ref>LeMaître, Yves. (1995). ''Lexique du tahitien contemporain: tahitien-français français-tahitien.'' Paris: Éditions de l'IRD (ex-Orstom).</ref><ref>Montillier, Pierre. (1999). ''Te reo tahiti {{okina}}āpi: Dictionnaire du tahitien nouveau et biblique.'' Papeete, Tahiti: STP Multipress.</ref><ref>Jaussen, Mgr Tepano. (2001). ''Dictionnaire de la langue Tahitienne'' (10ème édition, revue et augmentée). Papeete, Tahiti: Société des Études Océaniennes.</ref> (In the past, written Tahitian either did not distinguish vowel length, or used multiple other ways).<ref>Académie Tahitienne (6 January 2003). ''[http://www.farevanaa.pf/theme_detail.php?id=5 Graphie et graphies de la langue tahitienne]''.</ref>
** [[Tongan language|Tongan]] and [[Samoan language|Samoan]]. The macron is called the ''toloi/fakamamafa'' or ''fa'amamafa'', respectively. Its usage is similar to that in Māori, including its substitution by a trema. Its usage is not universal in Samoan, but recent academic publications and advanced study textbooks promote its use.<ref>Simanu, Aumua Mata'itusi. 'O si Manu a Ali'i: A Text for the Advanced Study of Samoan Language and Culture</ref>
* The macron is used in [[Fijian language]] dictionaries, in instructional materials for non-Fijian speakers, and in books and papers on Fijian linguistics. It is not typically used in Fijian publications intended for fluent speakers, where context is usually sufficient for a reader to distinguish between [[heteronym (linguistics)|heteronyms]].
* Both [[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]] and Latin transcriptions of [[Udege language|Udege]].
* The Latin and Cyrillic alphabet transcriptions of the Tsebari dialect of [[Tsez language|Tsez]].
* In western [[Cree language|Cree]], [[Sauk language (Algonquian)|Sauk]], and [[Saulteaux language|Saulteaux]], the Algonquianist Standard Roman Orthography (SRO) indicates long vowels {{IPA|[aː eː iː oː~uː]}} either with a [[circumflex]] ⟨''â ê î ô''⟩ or with a macron ⟨''ā ē ī ō''⟩.

===Tone===
The following languages or alphabets use the macron to mark [[tone (linguistics)|tones]]:

* In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], a macron over a vowel indicates a mid-level tone.
* In [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]] an optional macron can be used to indicate mid-level tone if it would otherwise be ambiguous.
* In [[Pinyin]], the official [[Romanization of Mandarin Chinese]], macrons over a, e, i, o, u, ü (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ǖ) indicate the high level [[tone (linguistics)|tone]] of [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin Chinese]]. The alternative to the macron is the number 1 after the syllable (for example, tā = ta1).
* Similarly in the [[Yale romanization of Cantonese]], macrons over a, e, i, o, u, m, n (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, m̄, n̄) indicate the high level [[tone (linguistics)|tone]] of [[Cantonese]]. Like Mandarin, the alternative to the macron is the number 1 after the syllable (for example, tā = ta1).
* In [[Pe̍h-ōe-jī]] romanization of [[Hokkien]], macrons over a, e, i, m, n, o, o͘, u, (ā, ē, ī, m̄, n̄, ō, ō͘, ū) indicate the mid level [[tone (linguistics)|tone]] ("light departing" or 7th tone) of Hokkien.

===Omission===
Sometimes the macron marks an omitted ''n'' or ''m'', like the [[tilde]], in which context it is referred to as a "{{ill|Nasalstrich|de|lt=nasal suspension}}":
* In Old English texts a macron above a letter indicates the omission of an ''m'' or ''n'' that would normally follow that letter.
* In older handwriting such as the German [[Kurrent]]schrift, the macron over an a-e-i-o-u or ä-ö-ü stood for an ''n'',<!--please verify: according to the German wiki for the letter U, it merely serves to distinguish the ''u'' from the very similarly handwritten ''n''--> or over an ''m'' or an ''n'' meant that the letter was doubled. This continued into print in English in the sixteenth century, and to some extent in German. Over a ''u'' at the end of a word, the macron indicated ''um'' as a form of [[scribal abbreviation]].

===Letter extension===
{{redirect|p̄|the subatomic particle|Antiproton}}
{{redirect|n̄|the subatomic particle|Antineutron}}
In [[romanization of Hebrew|romanizations of Hebrew]], the [[macron below]] is typically used to mark the [[begadkefat]] consonant [[lenition]]. However, for typographical reasons a regular macron is used on ''p'' and ''g'' instead: ''p̄, ḡ''.

The macron is used in the orthography of a number of vernacular languages of the [[Solomon Islands]] and [[Vanuatu]], particularly those first transcribed by [[Melanesian Mission|Anglican missionaries]]. The macron has no unique value, and is simply used to distinguish between two different phonemes.

Thus, in several languages of the [[Banks Islands]], including [[Mwotlap]],<ref>{{citation |last=François |first=Alexandre |author-link=Alexandre François (linguist) |year=2005 |title=A typological overview of Mwotlap, an Oceanic language of Vanuatu |journal=Linguistic Typology |volume=9 |issue= 1|pages=115–146 [118] |doi=10.1515/lity.2005.9.1.115 |s2cid=55878308 }}</ref> the simple ''m'' stands for {{IPA|/m/}}, but an ''m'' with a macron ('''m̄''') is a [[Labial-velar nasal#Rounded variant|rounded labial-velar nasal]] {{IPA|/ŋ͡mʷ/}}; while the simple ''n'' stands for the common [[alveolar nasal]] {{IPA|/n/}}, an ''n'' with macron ('''n̄''') represents the [[velar nasal]] {{IPA|/ŋ/}}; the vowel '''ē''' stands for a (short) higher {{IPA|/ɪ/}} by contrast with plain ''e'' {{IPA|/ɛ/}}; likewise '''ō''' {{IPA|/ʊ/}} contrasts with plain ''o'' {{IPA|/ɔ/}}.

In [[Hiw language|Hiw]] orthography, the consonant ''r̄'' stands for the prestopped [[velar lateral approximant]] {{IPA|/ᶢʟ/}}.<ref>{{citation
|doi=10.1017/s0952675710000205
|last=François
|first=Alexandre
|year=2010
|title=Phonotactics and the prestopped velar lateral of Hiw: resolving the ambiguity of a complex segment
|journal=Phonology
|volume=27
|issue=3
|pages=393–434
|s2cid=62628417
|url=https://anu.academia.edu/AlexFran%C3%A7ois/Papers/878193/Phonotactics_and_the_prestopped_velar_lateral_in_Hiw
}}, p.&nbsp;421.</ref>
In [[Araki language|Araki]], the same symbol ''r̄'' encodes the [[alveolar trill]] {{IPA|/r/}} – by contrast with ''r'', which encodes the [[alveolar flap]] {{IPA|/ɾ/}}.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://marama.huma-num.fr/AF-Araki-pub.htm#a | title = The alphabet of Araki | author = François, Alexandre | year = 2008 }}</ref>

In [[Bislama language|Bislama]] (orthography before 1995), [[Lamenu language|Lamenu]] and [[Lewo language|Lewo]], a macron is used on two letters ''{{lang|bi|m̄ p̄}}''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eki.ee/letter/chardata.cgi?lang=bi+Bislama&script=latin|title=Letter Database|website=eki.ee}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |url=https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/54584756/FULL_TEXT.PDF |title="The Goal of the Good House": Seasonal Work and Seeking a Good Life in Lamen and Lamen Bay, Epi, Vanuatu |type=PhD |publisher=University of Manchester |year=2016 |first=Rachel E. |last=Smith |page=439}}</ref> ''m̄'' represents {{IPA|/mʷ/}}, and ''p̄'' represents {{IPA|/pʷ/}}. The orthography after 1995 (which has no diacritics) has these written as ''mw'' and ''pw''.

In [[Kokota language|Kokota]], ''ḡ'' is used for the [[voiced velar stop|velar stop]] {{IPA|/ɡ/}}, but ''g'' without macron is the [[voiced velar fricative]] {{IPA|/ɣ/}}.<ref>Palmer, Bill. [http://www.surrey.ac.uk/lcts/bill.palmer/NWS_site/Kok/PhD/Ch2.pdf A grammar of the Kokota language, Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229013857/http://www.surrey.ac.uk/lcts/bill.palmer/NWS_site/Kok/PhD/Ch2.pdf |date=2009-12-29 }}. PhD dissertation.</ref>

In [[Marshallese language|Marshallese]], a macron is used on four letters – ''{{lang|mh|ā n̄ ō ū}}'' – whose pronunciations differ from the unmarked ''{{lang|mh|a n o u}}''. Marshallese uses a [[vertical vowel system]] with three to four vowel phonemes, but traditionally their allophones have been written out, so vowel letters with macron are used for some of these allophones. Though the standard diacritic involved is a macron, there are no other diacritics used ''above'' letters, so in practice other diacritics can and have been used in less polished writing or print, yielding nonstandard letters like ''{{lang|mh|ã ñ õ û}}'', depending on displayability of letters in [[computer font]]s.
* The letter ''{{lang|mh|ā}}'' is pronounced {{IPA|[æ~ɛ]}}, the [[Palatalization (sound change)|palatalized]] [[allophone]] of the phoneme {{IPA|/a/}}.
* The letter ''{{lang|mh|n̄}}'' represents the [[velar nasal]] phoneme {{IPA|/ŋ/}} and the [[labialized velar consonant|labialized velar]] nasal phoneme {{IPA|/ŋʷ/}}, depending on context. The standard letter does not exist as a [[precombined glyph]] in [[Unicode]], so the nonstandard variant ''{{lang|mh|ñ}}'' is often used in its place.
* The letter ''{{lang|mh|ō}}'' is pronounced {{IPA|[ʌ]}} or {{IPA|[ɤ]}}, which are the [[roundedness|unrounded]] [[velarization|velarized]] allophones of the phonemes {{IPA|/ɜ/}} and {{IPA|/ɘ/}} respectively.
* The letter ''{{lang|mh|ū}}'' is pronounced {{IPA|[ɯ]}}, the unrounded velarized allophone of the phoneme {{IPA|/ɨ/}}.

In [[Obolo language|Obolo]], the simple '''n''' stands for the common [[alveolar nasal]] {{IPA|/n/}}, while an ''n'' with macron ('''n̄''') represents the [[velar nasal]] {{IPA|/ŋ/}}.<ref>OLBTO (2011) "Reading and Writing Obolo: Obolo Alphabet" in "A Workshop Manual for Teaching Obolo."  Obolo Language and Bible Translation Organisation (OLBTO). p.1</ref>

===Other uses===
* In older [[German language|German]] and in the German [[Kurrent]] handwriting, as well as older [[Danish language|Danish]], a macron is used on some consonants, especially n and m, as a short form for a double consonant (for example, ''n̄'' instead of ''nn'').
* [[Image:БСЭ1. Автограф. Автографы. 17.svg|thumb|right|300px|A signature of [[Fyodor Dostoevsky]] showing a stylized macron above the ⟨''[[т]]''⟩ in "Достоевскій"]] In [[Russian cursive]], as well as in some others based on the [[Cyrillic script]] (for example, [[Bulgarian alphabet|Bulgarian]]), a lowercase ''[[Т]]'' looks like a lowercase ''m'', and a macron is often used to distinguish it from ''[[Ш]]'', which looks like a lowercase ''w'' (see ''[[Te (Cyrillic)#Form|Т]]''). Some writers also underline the letter ''ш'' to reduce ambiguity further.

Also, in some instances, a diacritic will be written like a macron, although it represents another diacritic whose standard form is different:

* In some [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[Estonian language|Estonian]] and [[Swedish language|Swedish]] handwriting, a macron-style umlaut is used for ''[[ä]]'' or ''[[ö]]'' (also ''[[õ]]'' and ''[[ü]]'' in Estonian), sometimes known colloquially as a "lazy man's umlaut". This can also be seen in some modern handwritten [[German language|German]].
* In [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] ''ū'', ''ā'', ''ī'', ''ē'' and ''ō'' can be used for decorative purposes both in handwritten and computed [[Bokmål]] and [[Nynorsk]] or to denote vowel length such as in ''dū'' (you), ''lā'' (infinitive form of to let), lēser (present form of "to read") and ''lūft'' (air). The diacritic is entirely optional, carries no IPA value and is seldom used in modern Norwegian outside of handwriting.
* In informal [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] handwriting, a macron is often a substitute for either a [[double acute accent]] or an [[umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]] (e.g., ''[[umlaut (diacritic)|ö]]'' or ''[[double acute accent|ő]]''). Because of this ambiguity, using it is often regarded as bad practice.
* In informal handwriting, the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''ñ'' is sometimes written with a macron-shaped tilde: (''n̄'').

===Medicine===
{{main|overline|bar (diacritic)|scribal abbreviation|medical abbreviation}}
Continuing previous [[Latin language|Latin]] [[scribal abbreviation]]s, letters with combining macron can be used in various European languages to represent the [[overline]]s indicating various [[medical abbreviation]]s, particularly including:

* '''ā''' for {{lang|la|{{linktext|ante}}}} ("before")
* '''c̄''' for {{lang|la|{{linktext|cum}}}} ("with")
* '''p̄''' for {{lang|la|{{linktext|post}}}} ("after")<ref>{{Cite book|title=Manuali Hoepli Lexicon Abbreviature Dizionario Di Abbreviature Latine ed Italiane|last=Cappelli|first=Adriano|publisher=Editore Ulrico Hoepli Milano|year=1961|location=Milan|pages=256}}</ref>
* '''q̄''' for {{lang|la|{{linktext|quisque}}}} and its inflections ("every", "each")
* '''s̄''' for {{lang|la|{{linktext|sine}}}} ("without")
* '''x̄''' for {{lang|la|{{linktext|exceptus}}}} and its inflections ("except")

Note, however, that abbreviations involving the letter h take their macron halfway up the ascending line rather than at the normal height for unicode macrons and overlines: [[ħ]]. This is separately encoded in [[Unicode]] with the symbols using [[bar diacritic]]s and appears shorter than other macrons in many fonts.

===Mathematics and science===
The [[overline]] is a typographical symbol visually similar to the macron, used in a number of ways in mathematics and science. For example, it is used to represent [[Complex conjugate|complex conjugation]]:

<math>
z = a + bi; \quad \overline{z} = a - bi
</math>

and to represent a [[line segment]] in geometry (e.g., <math>
\overline{AB}
</math>), [[sample means]] in statistics (e.g., <math>
\overline{X}
</math>) and [[negation]]s in [[logic]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Weisstein|first=Eric W.|title=Macron|url=https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Macron.html|access-date=2020-08-24|website=mathworld.wolfram.com|language=en}}</ref> It is also used in [[Hermann–Mauguin notation]].{{how|date=April 2018}}

===Music===
In music, the [[tenuto]] marking resembles the macron.

The macron is also used in German [[lute]] [[tablature]] to distinguish repeating alphabetic characters.

== Letters with macron ==
{{Letters with diacritic/header}}<!--
-->{{hlist|{{Letters with diacritic/diacritic|format=char|d=macron}}<!--
-->{{Letters with diacritic/scriptname|1=Latin}}[[Ā |Ā{{NNBSP}}ā]]
| Ā́{{NNBSP}}ā́
| Ā̀{{NNBSP}}ā̀
| Ā̂{{NNBSP}}ā̂
| Ā̃{{NNBSP}}ā̃
| [[Ǟ |Ǟ{{NNBSP}}ǟ]]
| Ā̈{{NNBSP}}ā̈
| [[Ǡ |Ǡ{{NNBSP}}ǡ]]
| A̱{{NNBSP}}a̱
| Å̄{{NNBSP}}å̄
| [[Ǣ |Ǣ{{NNBSP}}ǣ]]
| B̄{{NNBSP}}b̄
| [[Ḇ |Ḇ{{NNBSP}}ḇ]]
| [[C̄|C̄{{NNBSP}}c̄]]
| C̱{{NNBSP}}c̱
| D̄{{NNBSP}}d̄
| [[Ḏ |Ḏ{{NNBSP}}ḏ]]
| [[Ē |Ē{{NNBSP}}ē]]
| [[Ḗ |Ḗ{{NNBSP}}ḗ]]
| [[Ḕ|Ḕ{{NNBSP}}ḕ]]
| Ē̂{{NNBSP}}ē̂
| Ē̃{{NNBSP}}ē̃
| [[Ê̄|Ê̄{{NNBSP}}ê̄]]
| E̱{{NNBSP}}e̱
| Ë̄{{NNBSP}}ë̄
| E̊̄{{NNBSP}}e̊̄
| F̄{{NNBSP}}f̄
| [[Ḡ |Ḡ{{NNBSP}}ḡ]]
| G̱{{NNBSP}}g̱
| [[H̱ |H̱{{NNBSP}}ẖ]]
| [[Ī |Ī{{NNBSP}}ī]]
| Ī́{{NNBSP}}ī́
| Ī̀{{NNBSP}}ī̀
| Ī̂{{NNBSP}}ī̂
| Ī̃{{NNBSP}}ī̃
| I̱{{NNBSP}}i̱
| J̄{{NNBSP}}j̄
| J̱{{NNBSP}}j̱
| [[Ḵ |Ḵ{{NNBSP}}ḵ]]
| L̄{{NNBSP}}l̄
| [[Ḹ |Ḹ{{NNBSP}}ḹ]]
| [[Ḻ |Ḻ{{NNBSP}}ḻ]]
| [[M̄|M̄{{NNBSP}}m̄]]
| M̱{{NNBSP}}m̱
| [[N̄|N̄{{NNBSP}}n̄]]
| [[Ṉ |Ṉ{{NNBSP}}ṉ]]
| [[Ō (disambiguation)|Ō{{NNBSP}}ō]]
| [[Ṓ |Ṓ{{NNBSP}}ṓ]]
| [[Ṑ |Ṑ{{NNBSP}}ṑ]]
| Ō̂{{NNBSP}}ō̂
| Ō̃{{NNBSP}}ō̃
| [[Ȫ |Ȫ{{NNBSP}}ȫ]]
| Ō̈{{NNBSP}}ō̈
| [[Ǭ |Ǭ{{NNBSP}}ǭ]]
| [[Ȭ |Ȭ{{NNBSP}}ȭ]]
| [[Ȱ |Ȱ{{NNBSP}}ȱ]]
| O̱{{NNBSP}}o̱
| Ø̄{{NNBSP}}ø̄
| Œ̄{{NNBSP}}œ̄
| P̄{{NNBSP}}p̄
| P̱{{NNBSP}}p̱
| Q̄{{NNBSP}}q̄
| [[R̄|R̄{{NNBSP}}r̄]]
| [[Ṟ |Ṟ{{NNBSP}}ṟ]]
| [[Ṝ |Ṝ{{NNBSP}}ṝ]]
| S̄{{NNBSP}}s̄
| S̱{{NNBSP}}s̱
| [[T̄|T̄{{NNBSP}}t̄]]
| [[Ṯ |Ṯ{{NNBSP}}ṯ]]
| [[Ū |Ū{{NNBSP}}ū]]
| Ū́{{NNBSP}}ū́
| Ū̀{{NNBSP}}ū̀
| Ū̂{{NNBSP}}ū̂
| Ū̃{{NNBSP}}ū̃
| U̇̄{{NNBSP}}u̇̄
| [[Ǖ |Ǖ{{NNBSP}}ǖ]]
| [[Ṻ |Ṻ{{NNBSP}}ṻ]]
| Ṳ̄{{NNBSP}}ṳ̄
| U̱{{NNBSP}}u̱
| [[V̄|V̄{{NNBSP}}v̄]]
| [[W̄|W̄{{NNBSP}}w̄]]
| [[X̄|X̄{{NNBSP}}x̄]]
| X̱{{NNBSP}}x̱
| [[Ȳ |Ȳ{{NNBSP}}ȳ]]
| Ȳ́{{NNBSP}}ȳ́
| Ȳ̀{{NNBSP}}ȳ̀
| Ȳ̃{{NNBSP}}ȳ̃
| Y̱{{NNBSP}}y̱
| Z̄{{NNBSP}}z̄		
| [[Ẕ |Ẕ{{NNBSP}}ẕ]]
{{Letters with diacritic/scriptname|1=Greek}}[[Ᾱ |Ᾱ{{NNBSP}}ᾱ]]
| Ε̄{{NNBSP}}ε̄
| [[Ῑ |Ῑ{{NNBSP}}ῑ]]
| [[Ῡ |Ῡ{{NNBSP}}ῡ]]
{{Letters with diacritic/scriptname|1=Cyrillic}}[[А̄|А̄{{NNBSP}}а̄]]
| [[Ӣ |Ӣ{{NNBSP}}ӣ]]
| [[Ӯ |Ӯ{{NNBSP}}ӯ]]
}}{{Letters with diacritic/footer}}<!--

-->

==Technical notes <span class="anchor" id="Combining macron"></span>==

The [[Unicode|Unicode Standard]] encodes two free-standing ("spacing") characters for backwards compatibility, 13<!-- eight Latin pluse five other --> [[precomposed character]]s with macron alone, a number of other precomposed characters that have a macron ''and'' another diacritic, and two [[combining diacritic]] forms that may be used with arbitrary base characters to create further [[glyphs]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Description || colspan="6" | Macrons
|-
! Character || Unicode || HTML || Character || Unicode || HTML
|- <!-- This is a hack to force MediaWiki to end the THEAD here. -->
| colspan="7" style="padding: 0" |
|-
! rowspan="4" | Macron<br>above
|-
! colspan="3" | Combining || colspan="3" | Spacing
|-
|  {{serif|{{char|◌̄}}}}<br><small>single</small> ||  U+0304 ||  &amp;#772; || ¯<br><small>mark</small> || U+00AF || &amp;macr;<br>&amp;#175; <!-- This sample uses {{serif}} because of a rendering limitation in Android (as of v13), that its default sans font fails to render "dotted circle + diacritic", so visitors just get a meaningless (to most) [X] mark. Please retain at least until the issue is resolved because this is a very large proportion of visitors. -->
|-
| <span style="font-family: serif">{{char|◌͞◌}}</span><br><small>double</small> || U+035E || &amp;#862; || ˉ<br><small>letter</small> || U+02C9 || &amp;#713;
|-
! Macron<br>below
| colspan=6 | (see [[macron below]])
|-
! rowspan="2" | Additional<br>diacritic || colspan="6" | Latin
|-
! colspan="3" | Upper case || colspan="3" | Lower case
|-
! rowspan="8" | —
| Ā || U+0100 || &amp;#256; || ā || U+0101 || &amp;#257;
|-
| Ǣ || U+01E2 || &amp;#482; || ǣ || U+01E3 || &amp;#483;
|-
| Ē || U+0112 || &amp;#274; || ē || U+0113 || &amp;#275;
|-
| Ḡ || U+1E20 || &amp;#7712; || ḡ || U+1E21 || &amp;#7713;
|-
| Ī || U+012A || &amp;#298; || ī || U+012B || &amp;#299;
|-
| Ō || U+014C || &amp;#332; || ō || U+014D || &amp;#333;
|-
| Ū || U+016A || &amp;#362; || ū || U+016B || &amp;#363;
|-
| Ȳ || U+0232 || &amp;#562; || ȳ || U+0233 || &amp;#563;
|-
! rowspan="4" | Diaeresis
| Ǟ || U+01DE || &amp;#478; || ǟ || U+01DF || &amp;#479;
|-
| Ȫ || U+022A || &amp;#554; || ȫ || U+022B || &amp;#555;
|-
| Ǖ || U+01D5 || &amp;#469; || ǖ || U+01D6 || &amp;#470;
|-
| Ṻ || U+1E7A || &amp;#7802; || ṻ || U+1E7B || &amp;#7803;
|-
! rowspan="2" | Dot above
| Ǡ || U+01E0 || &amp;#480; || ǡ || U+01E1 || &amp;#481;
|-
| Ȱ || U+0230 || &amp;#560; || ȱ || U+0231 || &amp;#561;
|-
! rowspan="2" | Dot below
| Ḹ || U+1E38 || &amp;#7736; || ḹ || U+1E39 || &amp;#7737;
|-
| Ṝ || U+1E5C || &amp;#7772; || ṝ || U+1E5D || &amp;#7773;
|-
! Ogonek
| Ǭ || U+01EC || &amp;#492; || ǭ || U+01ED || &amp;#493;
|-
! Tilde
| Ȭ || U+022C || &amp;#556; || ȭ || U+022D || &amp;#557;
|-
! rowspan="2" | Acute
| Ḗ || U+1E16 || &amp;#7702; || ḗ || U+1E17 || &amp;#7703;
|-
| Ṓ || U+1E52 || &amp;#7762; || ṓ || U+1E53 || &amp;#7763;
|-
! rowspan="2" | Grave
| Ḕ || U+1E14 || &amp;#7700; || ḕ || U+1E15 || &amp;#7701;
|-
| Ṑ || U+1E50 || &amp;#7760; || ṑ || U+1E51 || &amp;#7761;
|-
! colspan="7" | Cyrillic
|-
! rowspan="2" | —
| Ӣ || U+04E2 || &amp;#1250; || ӣ || U+04E3 || &amp;#1251;
|-
| Ӯ || U+04EE || &amp;#1262; || ӯ || U+04EF || &amp;#1263;
|-
! colspan="7" | Greek
|-
! rowspan="3" | —
| class="nounderlines" <!-- avoid confusion with macron below --> | [[alpha|Ᾱ]] || U+1FB9 || &amp;#8121; || ᾱ || U+1FB1 || &amp;#8113;
|-
| class="nounderlines" <!-- avoid confusion with macron below --> | [[iota|Ῑ]] || U+1FD9 || &amp;#8153; || ῑ || U+1FD1 || &amp;#8145;
|-
| class="nounderlines" <!-- avoid confusion with macron below --> | [[upsilon|Ῡ]] || U+1FE9 || &amp;#8169; || ῡ || U+1FE1 || &amp;#8161;
|}

===Macron-related Unicode characters not included in the table above===
* CJK [[Halfwidth and fullwidth forms|fullwidth]] variety:
** {{Unichar|FFE3|html=}}
* [[Kazakhstani tenge]]
** {{Unichar|20B8|html=}}
* [[Overline]]s
* Characters using a [[macron below]] instead of above
* [[Tone contour]] transcription characters incorporating a macron:
** {{Unichar|1DC4|cwith=◌|html=}}
** {{Unichar|1DC5|cwith=◌|html=}}
** {{Unichar|1DC6|cwith=◌|html=}}
** {{Unichar|1DC7|cwith=◌|html=}}
* Compound tone diacritics:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2023/23188-cpd-tone-diacritics.pdf | title=L2/23-188: Unicode request for compound tone diacritics | publisher=ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 | date=2023-07-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2023/23208-compound.tone.diacritics2.pdf | title=L2/23-208: Unicode request for compound tone diacritics II | publisher=ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 | date=2023-09-18 }}</ref>
** {{Unichar|1AD4|cwith=◌|html=}}
** {{Unichar|1AD5|cwith=◌|html=}}
** {{Unichar|1AD8|cwith=◌|html=}}
* Two intonation marks historically used by [[Antanas Baranauskas]] for Lithuanian dialectology:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06214-n3048.pdf | title=N3048: Proposal to encode two combining characters in the UCS | publisher=ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 | date=2006-03-02 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06174-02n3861.pdf | title=N3861: Resolutions of the WG 2 meeting 48 held in Mountain View, CA, USA, 2006-04-24/27 | publisher=ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2 | date=2006-04-27 }}</ref>
** {{Unichar|1DCB|cwith=◌|html=}}
** {{Unichar|1DCC|cwith=◌|html=}}

==See also==
* [[Macron below]]
* {{anl|Vinculum (symbol)}}
* [[Māori language influence on New Zealand English]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://diacritics.typo.cz Diacritics Project – All you need to design a font with correct accents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023081610/http://diacritics.typo.cz/ |date=2018-10-23 }}
* [http://kupu.maori.nz/about/macrons-keyboard-setup Kupu o te Rā] How to set up the keyboard to type macrons in various operating systems.

{{Navbox diacritical marks}}
{{Latin alphabet|show diacritic =macron}}

[[Category:Latin-script diacritics]]
[[Category:Greek-script diacritics]]
[[Category:Cyrillic-script diacritics]]
[[Category:Poetic rhythm]]