Nine-segment display

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A nine-segment display is a type of display based on nine segments that can be turned on or off according to the graphic pattern to be produced. It is an extension of the more common seven-segment display, having an additional two diagonal or vertical segments (one between the top and the middle, and the other between the bottom and the horizontal segments). It provides an efficient method of displaying alphanumeric characters.

The letters displayed by a nine-segment display are not consistently uppercase or lowercase in shape. A common compromise is to use a lower-case "n" instead of "N". Depending on the design of the display segments, the use of the extra two segments may be avoided whenever possible, as in the Nixxo X-Page "tall" lowercase "r" and "y". Perhaps to avoid this awkward inconsistency, the Scope Geo N8T does not allow the use of uppercase or lowercase versions of the letters "J" (even though it could easily be displayed on a 7-segment display). Some other letters like "K", "Q", "W" (even though this would appear as an upside-down M), and "X", "Y" (even though it could easily be displayed on a 7-segment display), and "Z".