A character preceded by a backslash (\) is an escape sequence and has special meaning to the compiler. The following table shows the JavaScript escape sequences:

Escape Sequence Description
\t Insert a tab in the text at this point.
\b Insert a backspace in the text at this point.
\n Insert a newline in the text at this point.
\r Insert a carriage return in the text at this point.
\f Insert a form feed in the text at this point.
\' Insert a single quote character in the text at this point.
\" Insert a double quote character in the text at this point.
\\ Insert a backslash character in the text at this point.

When an escape sequence is encountered in a print statement, the compiler interprets it accordingly. For example, if you want to put quotes within quotes you must use the escape sequence, \", on the interior quotes.

JavaScript specifics:
  • Template Literals: JavaScript's template literals (backticks ``) introduce additional escaping rules for embedded expressions (${}) and backticks themselves (\` `).
  • Vertical Tab (\v): While both support \v, older versions of Internet Explorer might interpret it as a literal 'v' instead of a vertical tab, making \x0B a more robust cross-browser alternative.
  • Null Character (\0): JavaScript's \0 represents the null character (U+0000) only if the next character is not a decimal digit; otherwise, it's interpreted as an octal escape sequence.
  • Unicode Escapes: Both support Unicode escapes, but JavaScript also allows for extended Unicode escape sequences using curly braces, e.g., \u{1F600} for emojis.