If you have a question such as, “How do I type the approximately equal sign?” then you may need an explanation of what it is. After that, we’ll show you how to type the symbol.
The approximately equal sign is the Unicode character U+2248, which is the symbol ≈. It represents a binary relation that indicates that two values are numerically or contextually approximate but not exactly equal.
In mathematics, this is often used for rounded numbers, estimates, or other approximations. For example, 7/3 is equal to about 2.3333333…, and so 7/3 ≈ 2.33. You shouldn’t use the approximately equal sign as a substitute for exact equality, either in a mathematical sense or as a formal defined equivalence relation.
You can also copy and paste these symbols directly: ≈, ~, ≃, ≅. Simply click on the symbol to copy it to your clipboard.
On Windows, you can hold down the Alt key and type the numeric keypad code. To type the approximately equal sign, press and hold down the Alt key and type 247 on the numeric keypad. The symbol will appear at the cursor position. Similarly, typing Alt + 126 will create a single tilde (~).
HTML, web, and LaTeX codes
Here’s what you can use in HTML or web content to insert the approximately equal sign:
HTML entity: ≈
HTML decimal: ≈
Unicode: U+2248
MathML: <mo>≈</mo>
You can also produce the approximately equal sign with LaTeX using the \approx command, which should be used inside math mode. No additional packages are needed. Example:
x \approx y