# Warning against Unicode confusables

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/warning-against-unicode-confusables/108734>\
**Category:** Internals & Design\
**Tags:** unicode\
**Created:** [January 9, 2024, 2:19am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/warning-against-unicode-confusables/108734 "2024-01-09T02:19:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![baggepinnen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/baggepinnen/32/693_2.png) [@baggepinnen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/baggepinnen)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/warning-against-unicode-confusables/108734/3 "2024-01-09T14:05:35Z")

</div>

> [@Syntax: Escape hatch for unicode haters](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/syntax-escape-hatch-for-unicode-haters/108363/43):
>
> These are all “rhos”, yet they are all different (distinct) characters, which could potentially have all different meaning.  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/e/1/e193cf13104c8588983c6836aea1d9595dbc4e93.png)  
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/1/5/15144203e769a53ec292f83e88a70c5c1887b490.png)  
> Does it still seem like a good idea?

> [@PetrKryslUCSD](#):
>
> Even in the internal code (the guts; which you might have to look at, coding is not just about APIs), it is possible to have fun with Unicodes:
> 
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/c/a/ca2f39ff2a4497e68e020e91c951075c30b7a987.png)

Are these really problems you have ever encountered in practice? Poor naming of variables is certainly not a problem that is created by the use of unicode symbols, just because you _can_ create confusing situations using unicode doesn’t mean that all uses of unicode will. I’d say that the following variables names are at least equally bad and confusing, even if they are ascii only. These names are obviously absurd, but no more so than your examples

```julia
Il1li1il1il1il1i1li1l1ili1li
li1li1l1i1li1li1l1il1i1li1li
li1l1il1i1li1li1li1l1il1ili1
li1l1l1il1il1il1i1li1li1li1i
Il1li1il1il1il1i1li1l1ili1li
Il1li1il1il1il1i1li1l1ili1li
li1li1l1i1li1li1l1il1i1li1li
li1l1l1il1il1il1i1li1li1li1i

```

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