Copy-and-paste symbol guides: arrows, currency, math, and more.
The down arrow ↓ means down, but it carries more than one job. The plain arrow is ↓, the emoji is ⬇️, and its cousins — ▼, ⇓, ⇩ — each mean something specific, from a dropdown menu to a download. It shows up as a direction, a decrease, a UI control, and a science…
The up arrow ↑ points one way, but there is more than one of it. The plain arrow is ↑, the emoji is ⬆️, and a handful of cousins (⇧, ⌃, ▲, ⇑) each mean something specific. It turns up as a direction, an increase, a keyboard key, and even a math operation. Here is…
The mu symbol has two everyday forms and a twist most guides skip. The lowercase is written μ and the capital is Μ, and there is a near-twin, the micro sign µ, that looks the same on screen but is a different character underneath. Mu is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet, though you…
The lambda symbol comes in two forms: the lowercase λ, the one you meet in code, physics, and math, and the capital Λ, which has its own life in cosmology. Lambda is the eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet, but most people run into it as the sign for an anonymous function or a wavelength…
The beta symbol comes in two shapes: the lowercase β, the one you meet in finance, physics, and stats, and the capital Β, which is drawn just like a Latin B. Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet, so it usually stands for the second of something — the version after alpha, the…
The alpha symbol comes in two shapes: the lowercase α, the one you see in physics and stats, and the capital Α, which looks exactly like a plain Latin A. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, which is why it turns up whenever someone means the first or the beginning of something….
The theta symbol, θ (lowercase) and Θ (capital), is the Greek letter that means “the angle.” In trigonometry, sin θ and cos θ use it the way algebra uses x — as the stand-in for an unknown angle. It also shows up in brain waves, options trading, and statistics. It isn’t on an English keyboard,…
Copy the omega symbol Ω ω or type it: Alt+937 on Windows, Option+z on Mac. Plus Ω the letter vs the ohm sign, alpha and omega, ohms in electronics, and omega vs omicron.
Copy the sigma symbol Σ σ ς or type it: Alt+931 on Windows, 03A3 then Alt+X in Word. Plus the two lowercase sigmas, what σ means in stats, Six Sigma, and sigma slang.
Copy the delta symbol Δ δ ∆ or type it: Alt+916 on Windows, Option+j on Mac. Plus Δ the letter vs ∆ the change operator, why delta means change, and river deltas.