The caret (^) is a typographical symbol used primarily in writing and editing. It resembles a small upward-pointing triangle and is often employed to indicate where additional text should be inserted in a document. In programming and mathematics, the caret serves as an operator for exponentiation, meaning it raises a number to the power of another number, such as in the expression 2^3, which equals 8. In computing, the caret is also used in various programming languages and markup languages. For instance, in Markdown, it can denote superscript text, while in Regular Expressions, it signifies the start of a line. Its versatility makes the caret a valuable symbol in both written and digital communication.