A question mark is the punctuation symbol (?) that goes at the end of a sentence when you're asking something. When you write “What time is dinner?” or “Can we go to the park?” you're showing the reader that you expect an answer, not just making a statement.

Without question marks, writing would be confusing. Imagine reading “How are you” versus “How are you?” The first looks like someone forgot something. The second clearly invites a response. Question marks help readers hear the right tone in their heads.

Question marks appear in direct questions but not in indirect ones. You'd write “She asked what time dinner was” (no question mark) but “What time is dinner?” (question mark). They also show up when someone is uncertain: “He said he was feeling better?” suggests doubt about whether that's really true.

In informal writing, people sometimes use multiple question marks (???) to show confusion or disbelief, though one is technically correct. And if you see both a question mark and an exclamation point together (?!), that's called an interrobang, showing shocked surprise or strong emotion in a question.