Hash vs. Pound — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 15, 2024
Hash (#) refers to a symbol used for tagging or denoting numbers in certain contexts, while pound (£) signifies the currency of the United Kingdom or a weight measurement.
Difference Between Hash and Pound
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
The hash symbol (#) is widely recognized in social media for tagging topics or keywords, facilitating search and categorization. Whereas the pound symbol (£) is primarily associated with the currency of the United Kingdom, representing monetary value.
In programming and computing, a hash (#) is often used in coding to denote comments or special instructions, indicating that the following text should not be executed as code. On the other hand, the pound (£) symbol is rarely used in programming, with its significance largely confined to financial applications.
The hash symbol is also called the "number sign" or "pound sign" in North America, used before numbers to signify ordinal numbers in some contexts. Whereas the pound currency symbol denotes the unit of currency in the UK and some other areas, serving as a critical element in financial transactions and pricing.
In telecommunications, the hash key on a phone keypad serves various functions, like ending commands or initiating specific actions. The pound symbol, however, does not have a counterpart in standard telecommunications interfaces, highlighting a clear functional divergence.
On social media platforms, the hash symbol (#) precedes hashtags, which are used to aggregate posts around specific themes or topics. The pound (£) symbol, however, is not used in this context and maintains its role in financial discussions or references.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Tagging in social media, denoting numbers
Currency symbol of the UK, weight measurement
Context
Social media, programming, telecommunications
Financial transactions, pricing
Symbol Origin
Derived from the number sign
Derived from the Latin word "libra" for weight
Function in Technology
Denotes comments in code, used in phone keypads
Not commonly used in technology outside financial applications
Representation
Represents topics, keywords, or numbers
Represents monetary value or weight
Compare with Definitions
Hash
Used for social media tagging.
#ThrowbackThursday becomes a trend.
Pound
Symbolizes the UK currency.
The book costs £15.
Hash
Represents numbers in certain contexts.
Apartment #402.
Pound
Rarely used in programming or social media.
The price in the code is marked as £100.
Hash
Functions on phone keypads for commands.
Enter your password followed by the # key.
Pound
Used in pricing and financial transactions.
Total cost is £200.
Hash
Indicates comments in programming.
#This is a comment in Python.
Pound
Historical significance tied to the Latin word "libra".
The £ symbol originates from libra.
Hash
Marks special instructions in documents.
Please sign # below.
Pound
Represents weight in pounds.
The package weighs 5 pounds.
Hash
A dish of chopped meat, potatoes, and sometimes vegetables, usually browned.
Pound
A unit of weight equal to 16 ounces (453.592 grams).
Hash
A jumble; a hodgepodge.
Pound
A unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces (373.242 grams). See Table at measurement.
Hash
(Informal) A mess
Made a hash of the project.
Pound
A unit of weight differing in various countries and times.
Hash
A reworking or restatement of already familiar material.
Pound
See pound-force.
Hash
Hashish.
Pound
See pound-mass.
Hash
The symbol (#); the pound sign.
Pound
The primary unit of currency in the United Kingdom, worth 20 shillings or 240 old pence before the decimalization of 1971. Also called pound sterling.
Hash
To chop into pieces; mince.
Pound
See Table at currency.
Hash
(Informal) To make a mess of; mangle.
Pound
The primary unit of currency in Ireland and Cyprus before the adoption of the euro.
Hash
(Informal) To discuss carefully; review
Hash over future plans.
Hash out a solution.
Pound
A primary unit of currency in Scotland before the Act of Union (1707). Also called pound scots.
Hash
Food, especially meat and potatoes, chopped and mixed together.
Pound
The pound key on a telephone.
Hash
A confused mess.
Pound
A heavy blow.
Hash
(typography) The # symbol (octothorpe, pound).
Pound
The sound of a heavy blow; a thump.
Hash
(computing) The result generated by a hash function.
Pound
The act of pounding.
Hash
One guess made by a mining computer in the effort of finding the correct answer which releases the next unit of cryptocurrency; see also hashrate.
Pound
An animal shelter, especially one operated by a public agency to house stray or confiscated animals.
Hash
A new mixture of old material; a second preparation or exhibition; a rehashing.
Pound
A public enclosure for the confinement of stray livestock.
Hash
A hash run.
Pound
A tank or submerged cage, as on a boat, in which live fish or shellfish are kept.
Hash
(Scotland) A stupid fellow.
Pound
New England An establishment at which live lobsters are kept and sold, often also offering no-frills restaurant service.
Hash
(informal) Hashish, a drug derived from the cannabis plant.
Pound
A place in which vehicles impounded by the authorities are held until redeemed by their owners.
Hash
(transitive) To chop into small pieces, to make into a hash.
Pound
(Archaic) A prison.
Hash
To make a quick, rough version. en
We need to quickly hash up some plans.
Pound
To strike repeatedly and forcefully, especially with the hand or a tool
Pounded the nail with a hammer.
Hash
To transform according to a hash function.
Pound
To assault with military force
Pounded the bunker with mortars.
Hash
To make a mess of (something); to ruin.
Pound
To beat to a powder or pulp; pulverize or crush
Pound corn into meal.
Hash
That which is hashed or chopped up; meat and vegetables, especially such as have been already cooked, chopped into small pieces and mixed.
Pound
To instill by persistent, emphatic repetition
Pounded knowledge into the students' heads.
Hash
A new mixture of old matter; a second preparation or exhibition.
I can not bear elections, and still less the hash of them over again in a first session.
Pound
To produce energetically, as from forceful use of the hands. Often used with out
"a tinny piano pounding out Happy Birthday down the block" (Laura Kascischke).
Hash
Hashish.
Pound
To cause harm or loss to; affect adversely
Stocks that were pounded when energy prices rose.
Hash
To chop into small pieces; to mince and mix; as, to hash meat.
Pound
To defeat soundly
Pounded their rivals in the season finale.
Hash
Chopped meat mixed with potatoes and browned
Pound
To attack verbally; criticize
Was pounded for months in the press.
Hash
Purified resinous extract of the hemp plant; used as a hallucinogen
Pound
(Slang) To drink quickly (a beverage, especially an alcoholic one). Often used with back or down
Pounded back a few beers after work.
Hash
Chop up;
Hash the potatoes
Pound
To strike vigorous, repeated blows
He pounded on the table.
Pound
To move along heavily and noisily
The children pounded up the stairs.
Pound
To pulsate rapidly and heavily; throb
My heart pounded.
Pound
To move or work laboriously
A ship that pounded through heavy seas.
Pound
To confine (an animal) in a pound.
Pound
A unit of weight in various measurement systems
Pound
Ellipsis of pound weight
Pound
The translated name of various non-English units of measure
Pound
A unit of mass in various measurement systems
Pound
Ellipsis of pound mass
Pound
The translated name of various non-English units of measure
Pound
A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 g). Today this value is the most common meaning of "pound" as a unit of weight.
Pound
A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces (≈ 373.242 g). Today, this is a common unit of mass when measuring precious metals, and is little used elsewhere.
Pound
A unit of force in various measurement systems
Pound
Ellipsis of pound force
Pound
The translated name of various non-English units of measure
Pound
A unit of currency in various currency systems
Pound
The translated name of various non-English units of currency
Pound
The unit of currency used in the United Kingdom and its dependencies. It is divided into 100 pence. Symbol £.
Pound
Any of various units of currency used in Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan and Syria, and formerly in the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Israel.
Pound
Any of various units of currency formerly used in the United States.
The Rhode Island pound; the New Hampshire pound
Pound
(US) The symbol # (octothorpe, hash, number sign)
Pound
A place for the detention of stray or wandering animals.
Dog pound
Pound
(metonymy) The people who work for the pound.
Pound
(UK) A place for the detention of automobiles that have been illegally parked, abandoned, etc.
Pound
A section of a canal between two adjacent locks.
Pound
A kind of fishing net, having a large enclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.
Pound
(Newfoundland) a division inside a fishing stage where cod is cured in salt brine
Pound
A hard blow.
Pound
To wager a pound on.
Pound
To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.
Pound
(transitive) To strike hard, usually repeatedly.
Pound
(transitive) To crush to pieces; to pulverize.
Pound
To eat or drink very quickly.
You really pounded that beer!
Pound
To pitch consistently to a certain location.
The pitcher has been pounding the outside corner all night.
Pound
To beat strongly or throb.
As I tiptoed past the sleeping dog, my heart was pounding but I remained silent.
My head was pounding.
Pound
To advance heavily with measured steps.
Pound
(engineering) To make a jarring noise, as when running.
The engine pounds.
Pound
To strike repeatedly with some heavy instrument; to beat.
With cruel blows she pounds her blubbered cheeks.
Pound
To comminute and pulverize by beating; to bruise or break into fine particles with a pestle or other heavy instrument; as, to pound spice or salt.
Pound
To strike heavy blows; to beat.
Pound
To make a jarring noise, as in running; as, the engine pounds.
Pound
To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.
Pound
An inclosure, maintained by public authority, in which cattle or other animals are confined when taken in trespassing, or when going at large in violation of law; a pinfold.
Pound
A level stretch in a canal between locks.
Pound
A kind of net, having a large inclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.
Pound
A certain specified weight; especially, a legal standard consisting of an established number of ounces.
Pound
A British denomination of money of account, equivalent to twenty shillings sterling, and equal in value to about $4.86. There is no coin known by this name, but the gold sovereign is of the same value.
Pound
16 ounces;
He tried to lift 100 pounds
Pound
The basic unit of money in Great Britain; equal to 100 pence
Pound
The basic unit of money in Syria; equal to 100 piasters
Pound
The basic unit of money in the Sudan; equal to 100 piasters
Pound
The basic unit of money in Lebanon; equal to 100 piasters
Pound
Formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence
Pound
The basic unit of money in Egypt; equal to 100 piasters
Pound
The basic unit of money in Cyprus; equal to 100 cents
Pound
A nontechnical unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound with an acceleration of free fall equal to 32 feet/sec/sec
Pound
United States writer who lived in Europe; strongly influenced the development of modern literature (1885-1972)
Pound
A public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs;
Unlicensed dogs will be taken to the pound
Pound
The act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows);
The sudden hammer of fists caught him off guard
The pounding of feet on the hallway
Pound
Hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument;
The salesman pounded the door knocker
A bible-thumping Southern Baptist
Pound
Strike or drive against with a heavy impact;
Ram the gate with a sledgehammer
Pound on the door
Pound
Move heavily or clumsily;
The heavy man lumbered across the room
Pound
Move rhythmically;
Her heart was beating fast
Pound
Partition off into compartments;
The locks pound the water of the canal
Pound
Shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits;
The prisoners are safely pounded
Pound
Place or shut up in a pound;
Pound the cows so they don't stray
Pound
Break down and crush by beating, as with a pestle;
Pound the roots with a heavy flat stone
Common Curiosities
What does the pound symbol represent?
The pound symbol (£) represents the currency of the United Kingdom and can also denote weight in pounds.
What is the hash symbol used for?
The hash symbol (#) is used for social media tagging, denoting numbers, and indicating comments in programming.
Can the hash symbol be used in programming?
Yes, the hash symbol is commonly used to denote comments in programming languages.
Is the pound symbol used outside of financial contexts?
While primarily associated with finance, the pound symbol can also represent weight, but it's rarely used outside these contexts.
What is the origin of the pound currency symbol?
The pound currency symbol (£) originates from the Latin word "libra," meaning weight.
Are the hash and pound symbols interchangeable?
No, they serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.
What is the origin of the hash symbol?
The hash symbol originates from the number sign, used to denote ordinal numbers and various other functions.
Can the hash symbol be used in financial transactions?
The hash symbol is not typically used in financial transactions in the context of currency.
What are some common uses of the hash symbol in documents?
In documents, the hash symbol can mark special instructions or denote specific items, like apartment numbers.
How does the hash symbol function on a phone keypad?
On phone keypads, the hash key is used for various functions like ending commands or initiating specific actions.
How do social media platforms utilize the hash symbol?
Social media platforms use the hash symbol to create hashtags, aggregating posts around specific topics.
What is the significance of the pound symbol in pricing?
The pound symbol indicates the price in pounds sterling, the currency of the UK.
How do hashtags work?
Hashtags, preceded by the hash symbol, categorize content on social media, making it searchable by topic.
How is the pound symbol used in weight measurement?
The pound symbol (£) can represent weight in pounds, but the abbreviation "lb" is more commonly used for this purpose.
Is the pound symbol used in technology?
The pound symbol is rarely used in technology outside of financial applications.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
