If you’re looking to type the approximately equal sign (≈) on a Mac with a U.S. keyboard layout, the direct shortcut is Option + X. This tip also includes how to use Character Viewer and explains some related characters.
The approximately equal sign is used to indicate that two values are not exactly equal but close enough that the difference between them doesn’t matter. It’s commonly used in math to show rounding or simplified numbers, as well as in engineering for design approximations.
Mac users with the U.S. input source can access ≈ by pressing Option + X. Option + = produces the not-equal sign (≠) on that layout, not ≈. You can also find the symbol through Character Viewer; shortcuts can differ with another keyboard input source.
Here’s what the symbol means, where it might be used, and some related symbols that appear on a Mac keyboard.
What Is the Approximately Equal Sign?
In mathematics, ≈ is known as the “approximately equal” symbol, meaning that two values aren’t exactly the same but they’re similar enough that it doesn’t matter. It’s used for rounded numbers and for simplified numbers. For example, you might write that pi is approximately 3.14 or that the value of 27/198 is approximately equal to 0.14. The symbol can also be useful when exact precision isn’t available or necessary, such as with measurements or certain statistical results.
In engineering, engineers often use approximations for designs because their calculations require some flexibility. In statistics, they might use approximate values as placeholders. The symbol is used in physics to denote measured values and in economics to express estimated or average figures.
How to Type the Approximately Equal Sign on Mac
To type the approximately equal sign on a Mac using the U.S. input source, press Option + X.
You can also open the Character Viewer to select the symbol from its library, then choose it and insert it into your document. The Character Viewer is found under the Edit menu, or by choosing a keyboard layout from the bottom-left corner of your screen, clicking the arrowhead, and selecting Show Emoji & Symbols from the dropdown.
Character Viewer is the safer fallback: press Control + Command + Space, search for “almost equal,” and insert ≈. A bare decimal number typed into a document is not a system-wide macOS shortcut for this character.
Alternate Approximately Equal Signs
There are several alternate versions of the approximately equal sign that you might see on a Mac keyboard. Here’s how each differs:
Tilde (~)
A Mac user may use the tilde (~), located just below the Backspace key, to represent similarity or approximation. It can even be used to mean negation, as in the expression A~B (read as “not A”). Some Mac users have noted using the tilde as an alternative for the word “approximately” or “about.”
A user suggests that people have asked about whether the ~ key could be used as an alternative to the approximately equal symbol, and he explains that they’ve done so in many situations.
Congruent (≅)
Another option is the congruent symbol, ≅ (U+2245). Congruence refers to shapes that are the same size and shape, but different positions. If you want to know more about this symbol, check out our guide on How to Type the Congruent Symbol on Mac.
Approximately Equal To or Equal To (≒)
This symbol, ≒ (U+2252), appears as approximately equal to or equal to, depending on the context. It’s more commonly used in Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan. Again, if you want to know more about this symbol, check out our guide on How to Type the Approximately Equal To or Equal To Symbol on Mac.
Inequality Symbol (≠)
This symbol, ≠ (U+2260), represents an inequality, which means that two things are not equal.
Windows Users
Windows users should not assume that holding Alt and typing the Unicode decimal value will work in every application. In Microsoft Word, type 2248 and press Alt + X; in other apps, use Character Map or copy and paste ≈.