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  • Word comparison: backslash vs. forward slash

backslash vs. forward slash

backslash vs. forward slash: ’s the difference?

This is a backslash: \ (so named because it leans backward). Backslashes are commonly used in computer file directory paths, such as C:\\Documents\Files. This is a forward slash: / (so named because it leans forward). In writing/grammar, they’re often simply called slashes. They’re more likely to be called forward slashes when they’re used in coding, filenames, and URLs, such as /browse/forward-slash.

noun

  1. a short oblique stroke (\), a backward slash, used in some computer operating systems to mark the division between a directory and a subdirectory or its folders, as in designating a path.


noun

  1. a short oblique stroke (/), or slash, especially one used in computer programming or to specify an internet address or computer filename.