A *String* is a sequence of characters. For the BBC micro:bit, ASCII character codes 32 to 126 are supported; letters, digits, punctuation marks, and a few symbols. All other character codes appear as a ? on the [LED screen](/microbit/device/screen).
### Declare a string
Use the [var statement](/microbit/reference/variables/var) and the [assignment operator](/microbit/reference/variables/assign) to declare a new *local* string variable. Like this:
![](/static/mb/blocks/string-0.png)
To declare a string using the [Block Editor](/microbit/blocks/editor):
1. Click `Variables` (as the Block drawer).
2. Type a name for your new string variable by clicking the down arrow, then click New Variable. Then type the variable name "salutation"
2. Drag a string block on the right side of the operator.
3. Click `"Hello"` and then type a string like `hello`.
Your code should look something like this:
![](/static/mb/blocks/string-1.png)
### The function `show string`
Use [show string](/microbit/reference/basic/show-string) to display a string on the [LED screen](/microbit/device/screen). If the string is multiple characters, the string scrolls right to left. The following example displays `Hello world!` on the micro:bit screen:
![](/static/mb/blocks/string-2.png)
The parameter of `show string` specifies the string