Almost Equal ≈ symbol in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

Annabelle AlmerLast updated: 9 January 2022

Microsoft 365,Microsoft Excel,Microsoft Office,Microsoft Office for Mac,Microsoft Outlook,Microsoft Powerpoint,Microsoft Word,Office 2016,Office 2019,Office 2021 / Office LTSC,Office 365

Almost Equal sign ≈ can be typed into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac.

The Almost Equal symbol ≈ is commonly used within Mathematics to indicate two values are roughly equal, but not exactly equal. Or use it whenever you need horizontal wavy lines!

How Almost Equal ≈ looks in different fonts.

Here’s some examples of how Almost Equal ≈ looks in common Office fonts.

Almost Equal ≈ codes

These are the important code numbers or values you’ll need to enter the Almost Equal or ≈

Decimal: 8776 Hex: 2248

Web: ≈ or ≈ or ≈

(web codes aren’t used in Microsoft Office, we’ve included them for the sake of completeness.)

Word and Outlook

The Almost Equal ≈ sign does NOT have an inbuilt shortcut in Word.

Use the standard Word Alt + X symbol shortcut 2248 + Alt + X

Once in a document, you can copy it to AutoCorrect and make your own shortcut.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

Insert | Symbols | Symbol and look for the Almost Equal symbol.

Windows

In Windows there are several shortcuts to enter the Almost Equal ≈ character into any program, but they use a numeric keypad, not the number row above the letters.

Alt + 8776