Continuity symbol
The continuity setting: the meter beeps when the resistance between its probes is below a low threshold set by the maker, and shows OL when the circuit is open. The dot with sound waves stands for the beeper.
Easily confused with
How to read it
Extech prints the symbol as a dot and three arcs, •))), and Klein Tools calls the setting audible continuity. Fluke’s dial guide describes continuity as the resistance position combined with the sound button, which turns the continuity beeper on.
The threshold differs by meter. Fluke’s 114, 115 and 117 beep below 20 Ω and stop above 250 Ω; Klein’s MM400 sounds below 50 Ω; Extech’s EX330 below about 100 Ω; Mastech’s MAS838 below about 1.5 kΩ. On an open circuit the EX330 shows OL.
Also searched as: •))), audible continuity, beep symbol, continuity beeper, sound wave symbol on a multimeter.
These pages describe what each setting, marking and reading means. They are not instructions for measuring anything. Meters differ between makers and models: the meter’s own manual says what each of its symbols means, which measurements it is rated for, and how to use it safely.
Look-alikes
The diode symbol is often printed next to it, and the two settings differ: the diode test shows a voltage, the continuity setting a beep. Klein’s MM400 pairs continuity with resistance on one position and capacitance with diode test on another.
What the manuals say about live circuits
Klein’s manual says not to measure resistance or continuity on a live circuit, and Extech’s manual warns against measuring continuity on circuits or wires that have voltage on them.
Read next
- Next in Multimeter symbolsDiode test symbolThe diode test setting. The symbol is the circuit symbol for a diode, a triangle pointing at a bar; on this setting the meter shows the voltage drop across a diode, or OL.
- The same shape in African flagsFlag of LibyaLibya’s flag has three horizontal stripes, red, black and green, the black as deep as the other two together, with a white crescent and a white five-pointed star in the centre. It was Libya’s national flag from 1951 to 1969 and was taken up again in 2011; Libya’s Constitutional Declaration gives its colours no meaning.
More multimeter symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with curves and waves.
Sources
- Multimeter Symbols, Buttons, Dials, and Display, Fluke learning centre article, Fluke Corporation, Digital multimeter dial; Digital multimeter buttons
- 114, 115, and 117 True-rms Multimeters: Users Manual, PN 2572573, July 2006, Rev. 1, 2/07, Fluke Corporation (copy hosted by UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering), Display; Rotary switch positions
- MM400 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter: Instruction Manual, MM400 instruction manual, Klein Tools (copy hosted by UBC Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences), Symbols on meter; Electrical specifications; Warnings; Function buttons
- Mini Multimeter with Non-Contact Voltage Detector, Model EX330: User’s Guide, EX330-EU-ENG V4.2 1/08, Extech Instruments (copy hosted by Core Electronics), Display symbols; Continuity check
- MAS838 Digital Multimeter: Operator’s Instruction Manual, MAS838 manual, Mastech (copy hosted by Akizuki Denshi), Specifications, diode and continuity
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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