LaTeX Symbols

Every LaTeX math symbol is a command that starts with a backslash and is typed in math mode, for example $x \leq y$ or \[ A \cup B \]. The table below lists the symbols people look up most, grouped by kind; the links further down go to a page per symbol family with variants and common mistakes.

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Most-used LaTeX math symbols

\leq
$\leq$
Relation: less than or equal to (\le is the same).
\geq
$\geq$
Relation: greater than or equal to (\ge).
\neq
$\neq$
Relation: not equal (\ne).
\approx
$\approx$
Relation: approximately equal.
\equiv
$\equiv$
Relation: identical to, congruent modulo n.
\sim
$\sim$
Relation: similar to, distributed as.
\propto
$\propto$
Relation: proportional to.
\ll
$≪$
Relation: much less than (\gg for much greater).
\pm
$\pm$
Operator: plus or minus (\mp for minus or plus).
\times
$\times$
Operator: multiplication cross, cross product.
\cdot
$\cdot$
Operator: centered dot, dot product.
\div
$\div$
Operator: division sign.
\circ
$\circ$
Operator: function composition; also the degree sign as ^\circ.
\oplus
$\oplus$
Operator: direct sum, XOR (\otimes for tensor product).
\in
$\in$
Set: element of (\notin for not an element).
\subseteq
$\subseteq$
Set: subset or equal (\subset for subset).
\cup
$\cup$
Set: union (\bigcup for the big operator).
\cap
$\cap$
Set: intersection (\bigcap for the big operator).
\setminus
$∖$
Set: set difference.
\emptyset
$\emptyset$
Set: empty set (\varnothing for the round form).
\mathbb{R}
$R$
Set: real numbers; also \mathbb{N}, \mathbb{Z}, \mathbb{Q}, \mathbb{C} (amssymb).
\forall
$\forall$
Logic: for all.
\exists
$\exists$
Logic: there exists (\nexists for there is no).
\neg
$\neg$
Logic: not (\lnot is the same).
\land
$\land$
Logic: and (\wedge); \lor or \vee for or.
\implies
$⟹$
Logic: implies (amsmath; \iff for if and only if).
\to
$\to$
Arrow: maps to, tends to (\rightarrow).
\Rightarrow
$\Rightarrow$
Arrow: double right arrow.
\mapsto
$\mapsto$
Arrow: maps an element to its image.
\infty
$\infty$
Misc: infinity.
\partial
$\partial$
Misc: partial derivative.
\nabla
$\nabla$
Misc: nabla, gradient operator.
\angle
$∠$
Misc: angle.
\perp
$⊥$
Misc: perpendicular (\parallel for parallel).
\therefore
$∴$
Misc: therefore (amssymb; \because for because).
\alpha, \beta, \pi, \Omega
$α, β, π, Ω$
Greek letters: backslash plus the name; capitalize for uppercase.
\hat{x}, \bar{x}, \vec{x}, \dot{x}
$\hat{x}, \bar{x}, \vec{x}, \dot{x}$
Accents over a letter: hat, bar, vector arrow, dot.
\sum, \prod, \int
$\sum, \prod, \int$
Big operators: sum, product, integral; limits go in _ and ^.

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LaTeX

Templates

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Math symbols examples

Each result below is drawn from the LaTeX under it. Copy the code, edit it on this page, or open it in the full editor.

Set-builder notation
$S = {x \in R : x^{2} < 4}$
LaTeX
```
S = \{ x \in \mathbb{R} : x^2 < 4 \}
```
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Epsilon-delta definition

\forall ε > 0 \exists δ > 0 : | x - a | < δ ⟹ | f (x) - f (a) | < ε

LaTeX

\forall \varepsilon > 0 \; \exists \delta > 0 : |x - a| < \delta \implies |f(x) - f(a)| < \varepsilon

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Set operations
$A \cup B = {x : x \in A \lor x \in B}, A \cap \emptyset = \emptyset$
LaTeX
```
A \cup B = \{ x : x \in A \lor x \in B \}, \quad A \cap \emptyset = \emptyset
```
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Relations in one line
$a \leq b, x \neq 0, π \approx 3.14, y \propto x^{2}$
LaTeX
```
a \leq b, \quad x \neq 0, \quad \pi \approx 3.14, \quad y \propto x^2
```
Edit here Open in editor
Function notation
$f : R \to R, x \mapsto x^{2}$
LaTeX
```
f \colon \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}, \quad x \mapsto x^2
```
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Gradient and partial derivatives
$\nabla f = (\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}, \frac{\partial f}{\partial y})$
LaTeX
```
\nabla f = \left( \frac{\partial f}{\partial x}, \frac{\partial f}{\partial y} \right)
```
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Modular congruence
$a \equiv b (\mod n)$
LaTeX
```
a \equiv b \pmod{n}
```
Edit here Open in editor

How to find the command for any symbol

Most symbol names are the English word or its abbreviation: \leq (less or equal), \subseteq, \infty, \partial. If you know the name of the symbol, try it in the editor on this page; an unknown command is shown in red instead of silently disappearing.

When you only know what it looks like, look it up by shape: the Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List on CTAN covers thousands of symbols from many packages, and Detexify lets you draw a symbol to find its command. If the symbol is in a screenshot or PDF, the image to LaTeX converter reads the whole formula, symbol included.

Which symbols need a package

Plain LaTeX already defines the Greek letters, the basic relations (\leq, \neq, \approx, \equiv, \sim, \propto), operators (\pm, \times, \cdot, \cup, \cap), \in, \subseteq, \forall, \exists, \infty, \partial, \nabla and the arrows.

Load \usepackage{amssymb} for \mathbb, \varnothing, \therefore, \nexists, \leqslant and the negated relations such as \nleq; load \usepackage{amsmath} for \implies, \iff, \text and the matrix and alignment environments. Most papers load both, and Overleaf templates usually include them.

LaTeX

\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amssymb}

Math mode first

Symbol commands only work inside math: $ … $ or $ … $ in a sentence, \[ … \] or an equation environment on its own line. Typed in running text they stop compilation with "Missing $ inserted". To use one in the middle of a sentence, wrap just the symbol: the value $\approx 3$.

Common mistakes

Symbol commands are math-mode only; outside $ … $ LaTeX stops with "Missing $ inserted".
Instead of
```
The error is less than 5 \leq 10.
```
Write
```
The error is less than $5 \leq 10$.
```
\R and friends are shortcuts some templates define, not standard LaTeX. \mathbb (amssymb) works everywhere.
Instead of
```
\R, \N, \Z
```
Write
```
\mathbb{R}, \mathbb{N}, \mathbb{Z}
```
Commands from amssymb raise "Undefined control sequence" until the package is loaded. MathJax and KaTeX include them, so a formula can work on a web page and still fail in a document.
Instead of
```
\varnothing  % without amssymb
```
Write
```
\usepackage{amssymb}  % in the preamble
```
LaTeX does not combine ASCII characters into symbols; <= prints as two characters.
Instead of
```
x <= y, a != b, A -> B
```
Write
```
x \leq y, a \neq b, A \to B
```

In Overleaf, MathJax and Word

Overleaf and pdfLaTeX
Every command in the table compiles with amsmath and amssymb loaded. Symbols from other packages (stmaryrd, mathabx, fdsymbol) need their package and can change the look of existing symbols.
MathJax and KaTeX
MathJax and KaTeX include the amssymb symbols by default, so \mathbb{R} and \varnothing work without a preamble. In Markdown (Obsidian, Jupyter, GitHub) wrap formulas in $ … $ or $$ … $$.
Microsoft Word
Inside a Word equation, Math AutoCorrect turns many backslash names such as \alpha, \infty or \rightarrow into the symbol when you press Space. For whole formulas, build them here and use Copy for Word, which pastes an editable Word equation.

Math symbols in LaTeX: questions

Where can I find a list of all LaTeX symbols?: The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List on CTAN is the complete reference, covering symbols from hundreds of packages. For everyday math, the table on this page and the linked pages per symbol family cover what most documents use.
How do I find the LaTeX command for a symbol I only have as a picture?: Paste a screenshot of the formula into the image to LaTeX converter on the home page; it returns the LaTeX with the symbol command and a preview to check it. For a single symbol you can also draw it in Detexify.
Do I need a package for LaTeX math symbols?: The basic ones are built in. amssymb adds blackboard bold (\mathbb), \varnothing, \therefore and negated relations; amsmath adds \implies, \iff and \text. Load both to be safe.
Why does my symbol print as plain text or disappear?: Usually it is outside math mode, misspelled, or from a package that is not loaded. Put it between $ … $ , check the spelling, and look for "Undefined control sequence" in the log.
Can I type Unicode symbols like ≤ or ∞ directly?: With XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX and the unicode-math package, yes. With pdfLaTeX many Unicode math characters are not set up and cause errors, so the backslash commands are the portable choice.

Related LaTeX reference

Have the formula as a picture?

Paste a screenshot or photo of the equation and get its LaTeX, ready to copy or open in the editor.

Convert an image to LaTeX

LaTeX Symbols

Most-used LaTeX math symbols

Try it live

Math symbols examples

Set-builder notation

Epsilon-delta definition

Set operations

Relations in one line

Function notation

Gradient and partial derivatives

Modular congruence

How to find the command for any symbol

Which symbols need a package

Math mode first

Common mistakes

In Overleaf, MathJax and Word

Overleaf and pdfLaTeX

MathJax and KaTeX

Microsoft Word

Math symbols in LaTeX: questions

Related LaTeX reference

Have the formula as a picture?