Symbols

Approximately Equal Symbol (≈): How to Type and Copy It

ByGlenda Jnku

Copy and paste the approximately-equal symbol

The approximately-equal sign and its relatives, with the codes you’re likely to need. Use the grid above to copy with one click; this table is the reference.

Symbol	Name	Unicode	Windows	HTML
≈	approximately equal	U+2248	Alt + 8776	≈
≅	approximately / congruent	U+2245	Alt + 8773	≅
≃	asymptotically equal	U+2243	Alt + 8771	≃
~	tilde (about)	U+007E	on the keyboard	~

The ≈ isn’t on a standard keyboard (though the tilde is), so it takes a shortcut, a code, or a copy. The sections below cover each device, then the difference between these look-alike “approximately” symbols.

How to type the approximately-equal symbol on any device

Type ≈ on Windows

Use the Alt code: turn on Num Lock, hold Alt, and type 8776 on the numeric keypad for ≈. (This decimal code needs an app that supports it.) On a laptop with no keypad, press Windows + . for the symbol panel and search “approximately.”

Type ≈ on Mac

On a Mac, press Option + x for ≈. It’s a single shortcut with no dead-key step, which makes the Mac the easiest place to type it.

Type ≈ on iPhone and Android

On the symbols keyboard (123 then #+=), some keyboards include ≈; on others, press and hold the equals = key to reveal it, or use the tilde ~ (which is on the symbols screen) for “about.” Otherwise copy ≈ from the grid above.

Type ≈ in Microsoft Word

Type 2248 then press Alt + X to convert the code into ≈. Or use Insert → Symbol, where ≈ sits among the mathematical operators. In the equation editor (Alt + =), \approx gives ≈.

Type ≈ on Linux

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2248, then Enter. That Unicode input works in most GTK and Qt apps.

Add ≈ in HTML and CSS

In HTML, ≈ is ≈ or the numeric ≈. In CSS, a ≈ in a content value is the escaped code point \2248.

≈ vs ~ vs ≅: the shades of ‘approximately’

“Approximately” has more than one symbol, and they’re not quite interchangeable. Knowing the shades keeps you from picking one that means something slightly different from what you intend.

The ≈ (two wavy lines) is the everyday one: two values are close, as in π ≈ 3.14. The tilde ~ means roughly, of that order, and usually sits before a single number: ~50 people (“about fifty”). The ≅ means approximately equal in some texts and congruent (identical in shape and size) in geometry. And ≃ is a specialist sign for asymptotically equal, used in advanced maths. They all live in the same neighbourhood — “not exactly, but nearly” — but each leans a slightly different way.

Symbol	Best read as	Example
≈	close to	π ≈ 3.14
~	about / roughly	~50 people
≅	congruent / approx.	△ABC ≅ △DEF
≃	asymptotically equal	advanced maths

The tilde ~ as ‘approximately’

The most common stand-in for ≈ is a character that’s actually on your keyboard: the tilde ~. When it sits in front of a number, it means “about” or “roughly”: ~200 miles, ~$50, ~3 hours. It’s quick, everyone understands it, and you don’t need a shortcut — it’s Shift + backtick on a US layout.

There’s a subtle split in how the two are used. The tilde ~ tends to go before a single quantity you’re estimating (~50 people showed up). The ≈ tends to go between two values you’re saying are close (the crowd ≈ 50, or √2 ≈ 1.414). So for a rough figure in ordinary writing, the tilde is perfect; for stating that one thing nearly equals another, the ≈ reads better. The tilde also has a whole separate life over vowels (ñ, õ) and in code, covered in the [o with tilde](/o-with-tilde/) guide.

≈ in code: comparing floats with a tolerance

Here’s the deep one that catches every new programmer. Computers can’t store most decimals exactly, so 0.1 + 0.2 does not equal 0.3 in code — it comes out as 0.30000000000000004. That means you can almost never test two decimal numbers for exact equality with ==; you have to test whether they’re approximately equal. But there’s no ≈ operator to do it — you write the approximation yourself.

The standard trick is to check that the two numbers are within a tiny tolerance, called an epsilon: instead of a == b, you write abs(a - b) < 1e-9 (the absolute difference is smaller than a very small number). Many languages provide a helper — Python has math.isclose(a, b), and testing libraries have “assert almost equal” — but they’re all doing the same thing: implementing ≈ because == can’t be trusted on decimals. So the approximately-equal sign that looks like a maths nicety is, in programming, a daily necessity.

≅ vs ~ in geometry: congruent versus similar

In geometry, two related symbols get confused, and the difference is exact. ≅ means congruent: two shapes are identical in both shape and size — you could slide one onto the other and it would match perfectly. ~ (or ∼) means similar: two shapes have the same shape but not necessarily the same size, like a photo and its enlargement.

So △ABC ≅ △DEF says the two triangles are the same triangle in a different position, while △ABC ~ △DEF says they’re scaled copies. It’s a rare case where the everyday “approximately” symbols carry a precise, testable meaning — congruent is a strict yes/no, and similar means “same proportions.” If you’re writing geometry, reach for ≅ when the sizes match and ~ when only the shape does.

≈ in URLs and encoding

In a URL, ≈ is percent-encoded as %E2%89%88 (its three UTF-8 bytes). In code, when you need the character in a string (not the operator), the escape is \u2248 in JavaScript, Java, JSON, and Python. If ≈ ever shows as garbled characters or a box, the page is being read in the wrong encoding — serve it as UTF-8 and it renders correctly.

Copy-paste HTML codes

Every code for the approximately-equal sign and its relatives in one place. Click a cell and copy.

Symbol	Named entity	Numeric entity	URL (percent) code
≈	≈	≈	%E2%89%88
≅	≅	≅	%E2%89%85
~	~	~	%7E

In a CSS content value, use \2248 for ≈. For its opposite, the [not equal symbol](/not-equal-symbol/) guide; for the whole comparison set, the [math symbols Alt codes](/math-symbols-on-keyboard-alt-codes/) reference; and for π, whose value is the classic ≈ example, the [pi symbol](/pi-symbol/) guide.

Troubleshooting

My ≈ shows as a box or garbled text

That’s an encoding mismatch: the UTF-8 bytes for ≈ are being read as an older encoding. Set the file, database, and page charset to UTF-8 and ≈ displays correctly.

How do I compare two decimals in code?

Don’t use == — decimals aren’t stored exactly. Check the difference against a small tolerance: abs(a - b) < 1e-9, or a helper like Python’s math.isclose(). There is no ≈ operator; you implement it yourself.

Alt + 8776 isn’t working

That decimal code needs app support and sometimes a registry setting. If it fails, type 2248 then Alt + X in Word, use Option + x on a Mac, or copy ≈ from the grid above.

FAQ

How do I type the approximately-equal symbol?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 8776. On a Mac, press Option + x. In Word, type 2248 then Alt + X. In HTML, write ≈. Or click ≈ in the grid above.

What’s the difference between ≈ and ~?

Both mean “approximately.” The ≈ usually goes between two values that are close (√2 ≈ 1.414); the tilde ~ usually goes before a single estimated number (~50 people). The tilde is on the keyboard; ≈ needs a shortcut.

What does ≅ mean?

It means “approximately equal” in some texts and “congruent” (identical in shape and size) in geometry. Similar shapes that differ only in size use ~ instead.

How do I check if two numbers are approximately equal in code?

Compare the difference to a small tolerance: abs(a - b) < 1e-9, or use a helper like Python’s math.isclose(). Exact == fails on decimals because they aren’t stored precisely.

How do I write ≈ in HTML?

Use ≈ or ≈. In a URL, ≈ is percent-encoded as %E2%89%88.