| Symbol | Explanation | Example |
| [...] | commentary | outlet [from a lake] |
| (...) | addition (can as well be left out) | saline (lake) |
| ...,... | terms with the same meaning | glacier snout, glacier front |
| .../... | alternative expression as a part of the term | post-glacial age / period |
| [bo] [ny] | Norway has two official languages, Nynorsk and Bokmål. When norwegian terms differ in these languages, it is marked. | lausmasse [ny], løsmasse [bo] |
| ...-, ... | part of a word that appears two times, but is only written once | Parabel-, Sicheldüne (= Parabeldüne, Sicheldüne) |
