The Greek alphabet has 24 letters, each with an uppercase and lowercase form, from Alpha (Α α) to Omega (Ω ω). The table below lists all 48 with their names and Unicode code points; copy any letter directly, or open its page for keyboard shortcuts and HTML codes.
αDetailsAll 24 Greek letters
Lowercase and uppercase forms are separate Unicode characters in the Greek and Coptic block (U+0370 to U+03FF). Letters with a link have a full reference page with copy buttons, Alt codes where they exist, and HTML entities.
| # | Name | Uppercase | Code point | Lowercase | Code point | HTML (lowercase) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alpha | Α | U+0391 | α | U+03B1 | α |
| 2 | Beta | Β | U+0392 | β | U+03B2 | β |
| 3 | Gamma | Γ | U+0393 | γ | U+03B3 | γ |
| 4 | Delta | Δ | U+0394 | δ | U+03B4 | δ |
| 5 | Epsilon | Ε | U+0395 | ε | U+03B5 | ε |
| 6 | Zeta | Ζ | U+0396 | ζ | U+03B6 | ζ |
| 7 | Eta | Η | U+0397 | η | U+03B7 | η |
| 8 | Theta | Θ | U+0398 | θ | U+03B8 | θ |
| 9 | Iota | Ι | U+0399 | ι | U+03B9 | ι |
| 10 | Kappa | Κ | U+039A | κ | U+03BA | κ |
| 11 | Lambda | Λ | U+039B | λ | U+03BB | λ |
| 12 | Mu | Μ | U+039C | μ | U+03BC | μ |
| 13 | Nu | Ν | U+039D | ν | U+03BD | ν |
| 14 | Xi | Ξ | U+039E | ξ | U+03BE | ξ |
| 15 | Omicron | Ο | U+039F | ο | U+03BF | ο |
| 16 | Pi | Π | U+03A0 | π | U+03C0 | π |
| 17 | Rho | Ρ | U+03A1 | ρ | U+03C1 | ρ |
| 18 | Sigma | Σ | U+03A3 | σ | U+03C3 | σ |
| 19 | Tau | Τ | U+03A4 | τ | U+03C4 | τ |
| 20 | Upsilon | Υ | U+03A5 | υ | U+03C5 | υ |
| 21 | Phi | Φ | U+03A6 | φ | U+03C6 | φ |
| 22 | Chi | Χ | U+03A7 | χ | U+03C7 | χ |
| 23 | Psi | Ψ | U+03A8 | ψ | U+03C8 | ψ |
| 24 | Omega | Ω | U+03A9 | ω | U+03C9 | ω |
Sigma has a third form: ς (final sigma, U+03C2), which is used instead of σ at the end of a word in Greek text, as in λόγος. In math and science, the regular σ is used.
Note that the official Unicode name for λ is spelled GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA, without the b. Unicode names are permanent, so the spelling stays, but you can search for “lambda” on SymbolHero and find it.
What each letter is used for in math and science
Greek letters are the standard shorthand for constants, variables and units across mathematics, physics, engineering, statistics and finance. Some of the most common conventions:
- α alpha: angles, significance level in statistics, alpha particles, the alpha of an investment.
- β beta: angles, regression coefficients, beta particles, a stock’s beta.
- γ gamma, Γ: gamma rays, the Lorentz factor in relativity, the gamma function Γ(n).
- Δ delta, δ: Δ means “change in” (Δx, ΔT) and the discriminant of a quadratic; δ is a small change or the Kronecker and Dirac delta.
- ε epsilon: an arbitrarily small positive number in calculus, permittivity (ε₀), strain in engineering.
- ζ zeta: the Riemann zeta function, damping ratio.
- η eta: efficiency, viscosity.
- θ theta, Θ: angles, especially in trigonometry and polar coordinates; Θ in “big Theta” notation for algorithm complexity.
- λ lambda: wavelength, eigenvalues, decay constants, and anonymous functions in programming.
- μ mu: the prefix micro- (μm, μs), the mean of a population, coefficient of friction, permeability.
- ν nu: frequency in physics, kinematic viscosity.
- ξ xi: random variables and dummy variables.
- π pi: the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, 3.14159…; capital Π is used for products.
- ρ rho: density, electrical resistivity, correlation coefficient.
- σ sigma, Σ: σ is standard deviation, stress and conductivity; Σ means “sum of”.
- τ tau: torque, time constants, shear stress; some mathematicians use τ for 2π.
- φ phi, Φ: the golden ratio, angles, phase; Φ for magnetic or electric flux.
- χ chi: the chi-squared (χ²) test and distribution.
- ψ psi, Ψ: the wave function in quantum mechanics.
- ω omega, Ω: ω is angular frequency; Ω is the ohm, the unit of electrical resistance, and “big Omega” in complexity analysis.
Iota, omicron and upsilon are rarely used as symbols because they look too much like the Latin letters i, o and u (or v).
Look-alikes: when the “Greek letter” is a different character
Unicode contains several symbols that look like Greek letters but are separate characters with their own code points. They matter because some keyboard shortcuts produce the symbol, not the letter:
| Greek letter | Look-alike symbol | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ω U+03A9 capital omega | Ω U+2126 ohm sign | Unicode treats these as equivalent, and normalization converts the ohm sign to capital omega. Capital omega is the recommended character even for ohms. |
| μ U+03BC mu | µ U+00B5 micro sign | The micro sign exists for compatibility with older character sets. Both are widely used for “micro”. |
| Δ U+0394 capital delta | ∆ U+2206 increment | The increment symbol is the math operator; the Mac shortcut Option + J types this one, not the Greek letter. |
| Σ U+03A3 capital sigma | ∑ U+2211 summation | ∑ is the math summation operator. Option + W on a Mac types ∑. |
| Π U+03A0 capital pi | ∏ U+220F n-ary product | ∏ is the product operator. Option + Shift + P on a Mac types ∏. |
| θ U+03B8 theta | ϑ U+03D1 theta symbol | A cursive variant used in some math and physics notation. |
| φ U+03C6 phi | ϕ U+03D5 phi symbol | A straight-stroke variant used in math. Fonts differ on which form each code point shows. |
| ε U+03B5 epsilon | ϵ U+03F5 lunate epsilon | The “set membership” style epsilon used in some math texts. |
Also watch out for Latin look-alikes. Capital Greek Α, Β, Ε, Η, Ι, Κ, Μ, Ν, Ο, Ρ, Τ, Χ and others look exactly like Latin letters but are different characters, so a word typed with a Greek capital will not match a search for the Latin spelling.
How to type Greek letters
Copy and paste
The fastest method for occasional use is the table above or the Greek letters category. You can also search any letter by name in the symbol search.
Windows Alt codes
Only a few Greek letters have Alt codes, all from the old code page 437. Hold Alt, type the number on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on, then release Alt. The top-row number keys do not work.
| Letter | Alt code |
|---|---|
| α alpha | Alt + 224 |
| Γ capital gamma | Alt + 226 |
| π pi | Alt + 227 |
| Σ capital sigma | Alt + 228 |
| σ sigma | Alt + 229 |
| τ tau | Alt + 231 |
| Φ capital phi | Alt + 232 |
| Θ capital theta | Alt + 233 |
| Ω capital omega | Alt + 234 |
| δ delta | Alt + 235 |
| φ phi | Alt + 237 |
| ε epsilon | Alt + 238 |
A common mistake: Alt + 225 produces the German ß (sharp s), not β. It looks similar in some fonts, but it is the wrong character for beta. For the full list, use the Alt code finder.
Windows emoji and symbol panel or Character Map
Press Windows + . and browse the Symbols tab, which includes common Greek and math characters. For any letter, open Character Map, check Advanced view and search by name, such as “lambda”.
Mac
Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer and type the letter’s name. Only two Greek letters have direct shortcuts on the standard U.S. layout: Option + P types π and Option + Z types Ω.
Microsoft Word
Type the hex code point and press Alt + X, for example 03BB then Alt + X for λ. In equations, Word’s equation editor also accepts names such as alpha or Delta followed by a space.
Google Docs
Use Insert > Special characters and search for the letter name, or draw it in the search box.
Typing a lot of Greek
If you write actual Greek text rather than the occasional symbol, add a Greek keyboard layout in your operating system’s language settings and switch between layouts as needed.
HTML
Every Greek letter has a named entity that matches its English name: α for α and Α for Α, λ for λ, Ω for Ω and so on. Capitalization matters. Numeric references such as α also work.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Greek alphabet?
24 letters, each with an uppercase and lowercase form. Lowercase sigma also has a separate word-final form, ς.
Why does my Ω or μ not match when I search?
You may have the ohm sign (U+2126) or micro sign (U+00B5) instead of the Greek letters. Paste the character into the Unicode Lookup tool to check which one you have.
What is the difference between Δ and ∆?
Δ (U+0394) is the Greek capital letter delta. ∆ (U+2206) is the increment symbol from the math operators block. They often look identical; use the Greek letter in Greek text and either in math, depending on your style guide.
Is there an Alt code for beta?
No. There is no Alt code for β. Copy it from this page, use the Windows symbol panel or Character Map, or type 03B2 then Alt + X in Word.