Much less than sign (≪)
U+226A · MUCH LESS-THAN · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type ≪
Windows
No Alt code
≪ 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
226A Alt+X
Type 226A and press Alt+X right after it: Word turns the code into ≪. 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 ≪.
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 “much less than sign” and click ≪ to insert it.
iPhone
Make a shortcut (Text Replacement)
Turn a short word into ≪ once and type it in any app:
- Copy ≪ from this page.
- Open Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement and tap +.
- Paste ≪ as the Phrase and type a Shortcut, for example ;muchlessth.
- Now type ;muchlessth anywhere: the keyboard suggests ≪.
Android
Make a shortcut (Gboard personal dictionary)
Teach your keyboard a short word that turns into ≪:
- Copy ≪ from this page.
- Open Gboard settings › Dictionary › Personal dictionary, choose your language and tap +.
- Paste ≪ as the word and type a shortcut, for example ;muchlessth.
- Type ;muchlessth in any app and tap ≪ in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 226a Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 226a and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What ≪ means and how it is used
The official Unicode name of ≪ is MUCH LESS-THAN, code point U+226A. You will find it in the Mathematical Operators block; it was added in Unicode 1.1 (1993).
It also goes by these names and keywords: inequality, less-than, mathematics, much.
It sits in the math with 148 symbols, among them π ∞ √ ± ×.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML entity | ≪ | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | ≪ | |
| HTML hex | ≪ | |
| CSS | content: "\226A"; | |
| JavaScript | \u226A | |
| URL | %E2%89%AA | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 89 AA | |
| Unicode | U+226A |
Will it show on my friend's phone?
≪ has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.
Checking your device…
Names in other languages
What ≪ 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 | Much less than sign |
| Português | Sinal de muito menor que |
| Español | Signo mucho menor que |
| Italiano | Simbolo molto minore |
| Français | Symbole très inférieur |
| Deutsch | Viel-kleiner-Zeichen |
| Türkçe | Çok küçüktür işareti |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Simbol jauh lebih kecil |
| Polski | Znak znacznie mniejszy |
| Русский | Знак много меньше |
| 日本語 | 非常に小なり記号 |
| 한국어 | 매우 작음 기호 |
Related symbols
All Math →Questions people ask
How do I type ≪ on a laptop without a numeric keypad?
On Windows press Win + full stop (.) and pick ≪ in the Symbols tab, or in Word type 226A and press Alt+X.
How do I type ≪ on an iPhone?
The iPhone keyboard has no key for ≪. Copy it here, then add it in Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement with a shortcut like ;muchlessth.
What is the HTML code for the much less than sign?
Use the entity ≪ or the numeric code ≪ (hex ≪). In CSS write \226A, in JavaScript \u226A.
Will ≪ show on every phone?
≪ has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.