Approximately equal sign (≈)
The approximately equal sign (≈) means the two sides are close in value but not exactly equal. π ≈ 3.14 is read “pi is approximately 3.14”.
How to read it
OpenStax’s Prealgebra reads ≈ as “approximately” and writes it for any rounded result: “We use the symbol ≈ to show that the result is approximate, not exact.” NIST’s guide to the SI gives a ≈ b as “a is approximately equal to b”. The code point is U+2248, and Unicode’s formal name for it is ALMOST EQUAL TO.
Also searched as: ≈, almost equal to, almost equal to sign, approximately symbol.
Look-alikes
The character Unicode names APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO is a different one: ≅ (U+2245), a wavy line over two straight lines. ≃ (U+2243), one wavy line over one straight line, is ASYMPTOTICALLY EQUAL TO. A single tilde, a ~ b, is “a is proportionally equal to b” in NIST’s list of standard signs.
Where you’ll see it
≈ stands between a value and its rounded form: OpenStax notes that a calculator’s square root of a number that isn’t a perfect square “is not the exact number”, and it writes π ≈ 3.14 when working out the area of a circle.
More math symbols
Browse symbols drawn with curves and waves.
Sources
- Mathematical Operators: Range 2200–22FF (code chart), The Unicode Standard, Version 18.0, Unicode Consortium, Mathematical Operators, 2243–2248
- Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI), NIST Special Publication 811 (2008), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Sec. 10.1.2
- Prealgebra 2e, 5.7 Simplify and Use Square Roots, OpenStax (Rice University), Approximate Square Roots
- Prealgebra 2e, 5.3 Decimals and Fractions, OpenStax (Rice University), Properties of Circles; Example 5.36
- A History of Mathematical Notations, Vol. I: Notations in Elementary Mathematics, Florian Cajori (Chicago: Open Court, 1928); full text of the Wellcome Collection copy, Internet Archive, § 270, pp. 308–309
Last reviewed September 30, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research