Is there a difference between “?!” and “!?”? [closed]

Is there any difference between “?!” and “!?”?

The Wikipedia page on Interrobang describes:

In informal English, the same inflection is usually notated by ending a sentence with first a question mark and then an exclamation mark, or vice versa. Many people are unfamiliar with the interrobang, and would be puzzled when first seeing it, although its intention is usually self-evident. The interrobang can be hand-written with a single stroke plus the dot. One common application is in cartoons, as a stand-alone symbol of surprise.

Is there a difference, or are they identical?

Solution 1:

You should be aware that most style guides will tell you not to use an interrobang even if you have one; moreover, a single sentence-ending punctuation mark is sufficient unless you are trying to emulate Hunter Thompson and go totally gonzo (and even Thompson did his freaking out in the writing, not the punctuation).

If you want to express a question emphatically, just use a single exclamation mark. People will be able to tell when you're asking a question.

You ate the rest of the bacon, didn't you!

The ! trumps the ? but should be used sparingly. See my answer to this question on Writers.SE for a little more background on this.

Solution 2:

?! is emphasizing a question.

!? is questioning an emphasis.

I don't know why anyone would add an emphasis only to undercut it in the next mark, so I've never thought "!?" has any validity.

EDIT: There appear to be no sources published about this — interrobangs are extremely unexplored territory — so I can only refer to the structure of written English for my reasoning. There is a prevailing idea, among writers I've asked about the order of interrobangs, that the sentence's nature as a question is already determined before the punctuation, therefore "!?" does not diminish the question. I disagree.

Example: one can still remove the imperative of a question by punctuating it with "." instead of "?", resulting in a rhetorical question. The punctuation still does a lot of the work of defining a sentence's tone and purpose. Interrobangs are unusual in how they mix punctuation but a "?" says more about the tone and purpose of a sentence than an "!" does, so "!" should follow "?" as a modifier.

Solution 3:

The Wikipedia page you linked to states that the interrobang is

often represented by ?! or !?

which I think answers your question.

There is no difference.

Solution 4:

I prefer "?!" because the first punctuation, "?", logically and correctly frames the sentence as a question. The punctuation, "!", merely adds emphasis to the question being asked, as if to imply, "Really?".