How do I write ≤ (less than or equal to) in LaTeX?

In math mode, \leq or its short form \le; \geq and \ge give ≥. With the amssymb package, \leqslant and \geqslant give the slanted forms ⩽ and ⩾ that some journals and countries prefer.

How do I type the degree symbol in LaTeX?

In text, \textdegree, as in 25\textdegree C, or \textcelsius for ℃ — both built in since 2020. In math, use a superscript circle: $90^\circ$. The gensymb package adds \degree, which works in both modes.

What is the difference between \emptyset and \varnothing?

Only the shape. \emptyset is built in and draws a slashed zero; \varnothing, from amssymb, draws the rounder circle with a slash that many mathematicians prefer. Both stand for the empty set, U+2205.

Why does LaTeX say "Undefined control sequence"?

The command is misspelled, or its package is not loaded. Check the package shown with the result — \mathbb, \therefore and \leqslant, for example, all need \usepackage{amssymb} in the preamble.

How do I get ℝ, bold or calligraphic letters?

\mathbb{R} (amssymb) gives blackboard-bold ℝ, ℕ, ℤ, ℚ and ℂ; \mathbf{v} gives an upright bold letter; \mathcal{L} a calligraphic capital; \mathscr{L} (mathrsfs) a script one. For bold Greek, use \boldsymbol{\alpha} from amsmath.

Can I paste symbols into Word or Google Docs instead?

Yes. Copy character puts the Unicode symbol itself on your clipboard, and it pastes into Word, Google Docs, email and most other software. Whether it displays depends on the font having that glyph; mathematical symbols are covered by fonts such as Cambria Math and STIX Two.

LaTeX Symbol Finder

Search over 600 LaTeX symbols — Greek letters, operators, relations, arrows, set and logic symbols, delimiters, accents and text symbols — by name, by command, or by pasting the character itself. Each result shows the command, the Unicode character and code point, and the package that defines it, with one-click copy. Free, no sign-up.

Search by name, command or the symbol itself

Browse a category

53 symbols

\alpha
alpha
U+03B1 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\beta
beta
U+03B2 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\gamma
gamma
U+03B3 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\delta
delta
U+03B4 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\epsilon
epsilon (lunate)
U+03F5 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\varepsilon
epsilon (curly variant)
U+03B5 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\zeta
zeta
U+03B6 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\eta
eta
U+03B7 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\theta
theta
U+03B8 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\vartheta
theta (script variant)
U+03D1 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\iota
iota
U+03B9 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\kappa
kappa
U+03BA · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\varkappa
kappa (variant)
U+03F0 · Math mode
\usepackage{amssymb}
\lambda
lambda
U+03BB · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\mu
mu
U+03BC · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\nu
nu
U+03BD · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\xi
xi
U+03BE · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\pi
pi
U+03C0 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\varpi
pi (variant, omega-like)
U+03D6 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\rho
rho
U+03C1 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\varrho
rho (variant)
U+03F1 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\sigma
sigma
U+03C3 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\varsigma
sigma (final form)
U+03C2 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\tau
tau
U+03C4 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\upsilon
upsilon
U+03C5 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\phi
phi (straight)
U+03D5 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\varphi
phi (loopy variant)
U+03C6 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\chi
chi
U+03C7 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\psi
psi
U+03C8 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\omega
omega
U+03C9 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\digamma
digamma
U+03DD · Math mode
\usepackage{amssymb}
\Gamma
capital gamma
U+0393 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Delta
capital delta
U+0394 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Theta
capital theta
U+0398 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Lambda
capital lambda
U+039B · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Xi
capital xi
U+039E · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Pi
capital pi
U+03A0 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Sigma
capital sigma
U+03A3 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Upsilon
capital upsilon
U+03A5 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Phi
capital phi
U+03A6 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Psi
capital psi
U+03A8 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\Omega
capital omega
U+03A9 · Math mode
Built into LaTeX
\varGamma
italic capital gamma
U+1D6E4 · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varDelta
italic capital delta
U+1D6E5 · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varTheta
italic capital theta
U+1D6E9 · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varLambda
italic capital lambda
U+1D6EC · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varXi
italic capital xi
U+1D6EF · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varPi
italic capital pi
U+1D6F1 · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varSigma
italic capital sigma
U+1D6F4 · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varUpsilon
italic capital upsilon
U+1D6F6 · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varPhi
italic capital phi
U+1D6F7 · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varPsi
italic capital psi
U+1D6F9 · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}
\varOmega
italic capital omega
U+1D6FA · Math mode
\usepackage{amsmath}

How to Use the LaTeX Symbol Finder

1. Search or browse. Type a name (arrow, subset, degree), part of a command (\le), the symbol itself (≈) or a code point (U+2192). With the box empty, choose a category to browse; the finder opens on the Greek letters.
2. Check the mode. Math-mode commands go between dollar signs or inside an equation; text-mode commands go in running text. Using one in the wrong mode is the usual cause of a Missing $ inserted error.
3. Check the package. A result marked with a \usepackage line needs that package in your preamble; Built into LaTeX needs nothing.
4. Copy. Copy the command for your .tex file, or the character itself for Word, Google Docs or any UTF-8 text.

The Symbols People Look Up Most

Symbol	Command	Notes
≤ ≥	`\leq`, `\geq`	Short forms `\le` and `\ge`. The slanted ⩽ ⩾ are `\leqslant` and `\geqslant` (amssymb).
≠	`\neq`	Or `\ne`. Any relation can be struck through with `\not`, as in `\not\equiv`.
≈ ∼ ≅	`\approx`, `\sim`, `\cong`	Approximately equal, similar to (also distributed as), congruent.
± × ÷ ⋅	`\pm`, `\times`, `\div`, `\cdot`	`\cdot` is the centred multiplication dot, not a full stop.
→ ⇒ ⇔	`\rightarrow`, `\Rightarrow`, `\Leftrightarrow`	`\to` is a shorter name for →; `\implies` and `\iff` are spaced for logic.
∞ ∂ ∇	`\infty`, `\partial`, `\nabla`	Infinity, partial derivative, gradient.
∈ ∉ ⊂ ⊆	`\in`, `\notin`, `\subset`, `\subseteq`	Proper subset ⊊ is `\subsetneq` (amssymb).
∀ ∃ ¬	`\forall`, `\exists`, `\neg`	∄ is `\nexists` (amssymb).
°	`^\circ` in math, `\textdegree` in text	Or `\textcelsius` for ℃.
ℝ ℕ ℤ	`\mathbb{R}`, `\mathbb{N}`, `\mathbb{Z}`	Blackboard bold needs amssymb.
…	`\ldots`, `\cdots`	Low dots between commas, centred dots between operators.

Which Package Defines Which Symbols

Package	What it adds	Preamble line
LaTeX itself	Greek letters, the standard operators, relations, arrows, big operators, delimiters, accents and most text symbols.	None
amssymb	Several hundred extra math symbols: blackboard bold, negated relations, ⩽, ≲, ↠, ∴, ✓ and more. It loads amsfonts.	`\usepackage{amssymb}`
amsmath	Multiple integrals, `\implies`, the `\dots` family, `\lvert`, italic capital Greek, `\dddot`, and the aligned, cases and matrix environments.	`\usepackage{amsmath}`
mathtools	Builds on amsmath; here, `\coloneqq` (≔) and `\eqqcolon` (≕).	`\usepackage{mathtools}`
textcomp	Text symbols such as €, ‰, ℃, № and ½. Built into LaTeX since the 2020 release, so it no longer needs loading.	None today
fontenc with T1	Guillemets, low quotation marks, the ogonek, and letters such as ð, þ and ŋ.	`\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}`
stmaryrd, esint, mathdots, mathrsfs, gensymb	⟦ ⟧, ∯, ⋰, script capitals and `\degree`, one package each.	`\usepackage` with the package's name

Math Mode, Text Mode and Pasting Unicode

LaTeX keeps two sets of commands. \leq and \alpha work only in math mode, between dollar signs or in an equation; \textdegree and \S work in ordinary text. Some symbols come in both forms — \textrightarrow in text, \rightarrow in math — and the mode shown on each result tells you which one you have.

Since 2018, LaTeX reads UTF-8 by default, so in body text you can usually paste characters such as é, ß and – straight into a pdfLaTeX document. Math is different: pdfLaTeX does not turn most pasted math characters into math symbols, so write \le rather than ≤ inside an equation. XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX with the unicode-math package accept many pasted characters in math as well.

The list follows the LaTeX kernel, amsmath, amssymb, textcomp and the T1 encoding, as catalogued in the Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List on CTAN, and every math-mode character here is checked against KaTeX's own command table. For an accent, the character shown is an example letter carrying it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I write ≤ (less than or equal to) in LaTeX?: In math mode, \leq or its short form \le; \geq and \ge give ≥. With the amssymb package, \leqslant and \geqslant give the slanted forms ⩽ and ⩾ that some journals and countries prefer.
How do I type the degree symbol in LaTeX?: In text, \textdegree, as in 25\textdegree C, or \textcelsius for ℃ — both built in since 2020. In math, use a superscript circle: $90^\circ$ . The gensymb package adds \degree, which works in both modes.
What is the difference between \emptyset and \varnothing?: Only the shape. \emptyset is built in and draws a slashed zero; \varnothing, from amssymb, draws the rounder circle with a slash that many mathematicians prefer. Both stand for the empty set, U+2205.
Why does LaTeX say "Undefined control sequence"?: The command is misspelled, or its package is not loaded. Check the package shown with the result — \mathbb, \therefore and \leqslant, for example, all need \usepackage{amssymb} in the preamble.
How do I get ℝ, bold or calligraphic letters?: \mathbb{R} (amssymb) gives blackboard-bold ℝ, ℕ, ℤ, ℚ and ℂ; \mathbf{v} gives an upright bold letter; \mathcal{L} a calligraphic capital; \mathscr{L} (mathrsfs) a script one. For bold Greek, use \boldsymbol{\alpha} from amsmath.
Can I paste symbols into Word or Google Docs instead?: Yes. Copy character puts the Unicode symbol itself on your clipboard, and it pastes into Word, Google Docs, email and most other software. Whether it displays depends on the font having that glyph; mathematical symbols are covered by fonts such as Cambria Math and STIX Two.

More in Data, Markup & Code

See all Data, Markup & Code