The _ (underscore) is probably your best choice; the = (equal sign) is probably ok as well. +, -, ., and , (comma) are often ok within file names but can be iffy if used as the first letter.
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Putting quotes around things or using backslash to escape the special characters does not always have the effect you expect. For example, if you have file names beginning with -, whether or not you use quotes on the shell command line the filename would still be interpreted as an option to the command you are running. The exception to this is to refer to files using full or relative paths. For example, if you have a file named -l, refer to it as ./-l in scripts. Best to just avoid filenames beginning with -.
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Maybe not helpful, but here’s what my question to Gemini said:
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Yes. A hyphen is not interpreted by any shell, but when passed as a parameter to another command, that command might interpret it as an option.
The correct solution will depend on what command you’re calling. Some commands provide an explicit delimiter option (e.g., --) to separate options from parameters. Some use other parameters/options to force an argument to be interpreted as something other than an option (e.g., grep’s -e option that forces the next parameter to be interpreted as a pattern).
True. Unix shells give you the ability to do just about anything you want, but sometimes it’s not worth the effort.
Getting back to the original question, it’s also worth noting that you might run into problems if your file system is shared with Windows.
Microsoft Windows (Unlike macOS and Unix systems) has a much larger set of prohibited characters for filenames. Which could come to bite you if you put files with those characters on a storage device that is later used by a Windows system.
Microsoft prohibits any of the following characters in filenames:
The rules for what is and is not allowed for a Windows filename is massive and Byzantine. If you’ve never been bitten by any of these rules, consider yourself lucky.
See also: Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces - Win32 apps | Microsoft Learn
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If I was in the same situation as the OP, I probably would just double the first character of the name or file path and keep a text file to catalog the changes. For example, $rent => rrent .
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FWIW, when I need to rename a file so it sorts to the top of a directory listing, I usually prefix the name with “@”. I don’t believe that character creates any problems and it’s easy to type.
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