Math Symbols

How to type math symbols

A standard keyboard has + - = < > / * ^ and %, but not ± × ÷ ≠ ≤ ≥ or √, so copying from this page is the quickest way to get the rest. If you type math often, these built-in options help.

1. Windows 10 or 11: press Windows key + . (period), open the Symbols tab in the emoji panel and browse the categories.
2. Windows with a numeric keypad: hold Alt and type 0177 for ±, 0215 for ×, 0247 for ÷ or 0176 for °.
3. Word for Windows: type a Unicode code and press Alt + X, such as 2260 for ≠ or 221A for √. Press Alt + = to start an equation, where \sum or \int followed by a space turns into the symbol.
4. Mac with a US keyboard: Option + = types ≠, Option + , types ≤, Option + . types ≥, Option + Shift + = types ±, Option + / types ÷ and Option + v types √. For anything else, choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols and search.
5. Google Docs: choose Insert > Equation for math input, or Insert > Special characters and search by name.
6. Phones: the standard iPhone and Android keyboards have few math signs, so copy the symbol here and paste it.

What common math symbols mean

Operations and comparisons: ± means plus or minus, as in x = ±2 when x² = 4. ≠ means not equal to, ≈ approximately equal to, and ∝ proportional to. ≤ and ≥ mean less than or equal to (at most) and greater than or equal to (at least).

Calculus: ∑ adds a sequence of terms, ∏ multiplies them, and ∫ is an integral; a definite integral gives the signed area under a curve. ∂ marks a partial derivative, ∇ (del) the gradient operator, and a prime, as in f′(x), a derivative.

Sets and logic: ∈ means is an element of, ⊆ is a subset of, ∪ is union and ∩ is intersection. ∀ reads for all, ∃ there exists, and ∴ therefore. Textbooks differ on whether ⊂ means any subset or only a proper subset, so check your course's convention.

Constants: π ≈ 3.14159 is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, e ≈ 2.71828 is Euler's number, and φ ≈ 1.618 is the golden ratio. For temperatures, US writing usually pairs the degree sign with a letter, as in 72°F; ℉ and ℃ are single compatibility characters.

Math symbols in LaTeX and HTML

In LaTeX math mode, use \pm, \times, \div, \neq, \approx, \leq, \geq, \sqrt{x}, \sum, \int, \partial, \infty and \pi. Search a command name on this page, such as leq, to find its symbol.

HTML has named references for many symbols, such as &plusmn; ±, &times; ×, &divide; ÷, &ne; ≠, &le; ≤, &ge; ≥, &radic; √, &sum; ∑, &int; ∫ and &infin; ∞. The cube root ∛, degree Celsius ℃, degree Fahrenheit ℉ and diameter ⌀ characters have no named reference, so use a numeric reference such as &#x221B; for ∛.

Look-alike math symbols

≈, ≅ and ∝ look related but mean different things. ≈ says two values are approximately equal (π ≈ 3.14). In US geometry classes, ≅ means congruent, as in △ABC ≅ △DEF. ∝ says one quantity is proportional to another (y ∝ x).

× is the multiplication sign and also the cross product of vectors. · (middle dot) is widely used as a multiplication dot; Unicode's dedicated dot operator ⋅ (U+22C5) is the formal choice in math typesetting. The letter x is not a multiplication sign; use × or · to avoid confusion with the variable x.

∑ (U+2211) is the summation operator, while Σ (U+03A3) is the Greek capital letter Sigma; ∏ and Π are a similar pair. For equations, the operator forms usually space better. For "change in," use the Greek Δ on this page; ∆ (U+2206, INCREMENT) is a separate operator character.

Sources and standards

• Unicode — Mathematical Operators code chart (U+2200–U+22FF)
• Unicode — C1 Controls and Latin-1 Supplement code chart
• Unicode — Greek and Coptic code chart
• WHATWG — HTML named character references
• Microsoft — Insert ASCII or Unicode Latin-based symbols and characters
• Apple — Use emoji and symbols on Mac
• Microsoft — Windows keyboard tips and tricks

Frequently asked questions