Beta symbol (β)
U+03B2 · GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type β
Windows
No Alt code
β is not in the Windows code pages 1252 or 437, so it has no Alt code. Use one of the methods below or copy it from this page.
Word and Outlook: Alt + X
03B2 Alt+X
Type 03B2 and press Alt+X right after it: Word turns the code into β. Press Alt+X again to turn it back into the code.
Emoji and symbols panel (Windows 10 and 11)
Win+.
Press Win + full stop (.) to open the panel, go to the Symbols tab (Ω) and pick β.
No numeric keypad on your laptop? See the other ways in our Alt codes guide.
Mac
Character Viewer
Ctrl+⌘ Cmd+Space
Press Ctrl+⌘+Space (or the Globe key + E), search for “beta symbol” and click β to insert it.
iPhone
Make a shortcut (Text Replacement)
Turn a short word into β once and type it in any app:
- Copy β from this page.
- Open Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement and tap +.
- Paste β as the Phrase and type a Shortcut, for example ;beta.
- Now type ;beta anywhere: the keyboard suggests β.
Android
Make a shortcut (Gboard personal dictionary)
Teach your keyboard a short word that turns into β:
- Copy β from this page.
- Open Gboard settings › Dictionary › Personal dictionary, choose your language and tap +.
- Paste β as the word and type a shortcut, for example ;beta.
- Type ;beta in any app and tap β in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 03b2 Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 03b2 and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What β means and how it is used
Beta β is the second Greek letter. It marks beta versions of software, beta decay in physics, regression coefficients in statistics and a stock's volatility in finance. The German letter ß looks similar but is a different character, and on old DOS code pages Alt+225 gives ß, not β.
The official Unicode name of β is GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA, code point U+03B2. You will find it in the Greek and Coptic block; it was added in Unicode 1.1 (1993).
It sits in the greek with 69 symbols, among them α γ Δ θ λ.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML entity | β | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | β | |
| HTML hex | β | |
| CSS | content: "\03B2"; | |
| JavaScript | \u03B2 | |
| URL | %CE%B2 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | CE B2 | |
| Unicode | U+03B2 |
Will it show on my friend's phone?
Very likely yes: β dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for it.
Checking your device…
Don't confuse β with
These look alike but are different characters. Search, sorting and screen readers treat them differently, so copy the one you mean.
- βBeta symbolU+03B2 · GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA
- Eszett (sharp S)U+00DF · LATIN SMALL LETTER SHARP S · Latin-1 Supplement
- Greek beta symbolU+03D0 · GREEK BETA SYMBOL · Greek and Coptic
- Latin capital letter sharp sU+1E9E · LATIN CAPITAL LETTER SHARP S · Latin Extended Additional
- ᏰU+13F0 · Cherokee
- ꞴU+A7B5 · Latin Extended-D
- ꟖU+A7D6 · Latin Extended-D
Names in other languages
What β is called in the 12 languages of this site (Unicode CLDR and our editors). Tap a name to open that language's page.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Beta symbol |
| Português | Símbolo beta |
| Español | Símbolo beta |
| Italiano | Simbolo beta |
| Français | Symbole bêta |
| Deutsch | Beta-Zeichen |
| Türkçe | Beta sembolü |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Simbol beta |
| Polski | Symbol beta |
| Русский | Символ бета |
| 日本語 | ベータ記号 |
| 한국어 | 베타 기호 |
Related symbols
All Greek →Questions people ask
How do I type β on a laptop without a numeric keypad?
On Windows press Win + full stop (.) and pick β in the Symbols tab, or in Word type 03B2 and press Alt+X.
What is the difference between β and ß?
β is the beta symbol (U+03B2). ß is a different character: eszett (sharp S) (U+00DF, Latin-1 Supplement block). They can look alike, but computers treat them as different letters, so a search for one will not find the other.
How do I type β on an iPhone?
The iPhone keyboard has no key for β. Copy it here, then add it in Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement with a shortcut like ;beta.
What is the HTML code for the beta symbol?
Use the entity β or the numeric code β (hex β). In CSS write \03B2, in JavaScript \u03B2.
Will β show on every phone?
Very likely yes: β dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for it.