the number sign (#), also called the "pound sign" and "hash sign," is used as a not-equals symbol. For example, the expression if amount # 500 means "if amount not equal to 500." See hash sign.

They are made up of of letters from the words they stand for. So how do we get lb for "pound" and oz for "ounce"? From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of ...

The symbol we use at the beginning of a social ... “That’s why it’s called the pound sign.” “We see a little bit of history locked into these two letters, oz,” says Barrett.