Very Much Less-than Symbol
⋘ means “very much less-than” and is used to express a stronger “less than” relationship in math-style text.
U+22D8
The symbol ⋘ is a math punctuation mark used to indicate a “very much less-than” comparison. It’s useful when you want a clearer, stronger inequality than the standard “<”. You can copy it directly or insert it using its Unicode code point.
Very Much Less-than Symbol Meaning
⋘ is the Unicode character named “VERY MUCH LESS-THAN” (U+22D8). It visually combines a less-than sign with an emphasized, double-looking tail to suggest a much stronger “is less than” relationship. In math writing, it commonly appears in inequality statements to contrast with “<” or “≤” by implying the left side is not just smaller, but substantially smaller. In plain text and documentation, it can also be used for stylized comparisons, labeling, or teaching materials where the difference between mild and strong inequality matters. When typesetting, it’s typically treated as a math symbol and may render best in Unicode-capable fonts.
Common uses
- •Expressing strong inequalities in mathematical notes and problem statements.
- •Labeling comparisons in educational worksheets or slide decks.
- •Indicating “much smaller than” in technical documentation or reports.
- •Writing constraints in formulas for programming or engineering contexts.
- •Creating visually distinct inequality markers in data visualizations annotations.
Examples
⋘ Very Much Less-Than Symbol
- ⋘If x ⋘ 10, then the approximation holds.
- ⋘y ⋘ 0 indicates a strong negative margin.
- ⋘For large n, we expect 1/n ⋘ 1.
- ⋘The signal amplitude ⋘ the noise floor in quiet conditions.
- ⋘We require a ⋘ b for the chosen parameter range.
Variations
Ready to copy
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+22D8 | |
| HTML Entity | ⋘ | |
| HTML Code | ⋘ | |
| CSS | \22D8 | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 8920 | |
| Decimal | 8920 |
How to type Very Much Less-than Symbol (⋘)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 8920 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 22D8 then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 22D8. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 22d8, then press Enter or Space.
Anywhere
Copy ⋘ with the button above and paste it wherever you need it — this works on every device and in every app, with no keyboard shortcut to remember.
FAQ
What does the Very Much Less-than symbol mean?
⋘ is the Unicode character named “VERY MUCH LESS-THAN” (U+22D8). It visually combines a less-than sign with an emphasized, double-looking tail to suggest a much stronger “is less than” relationship. In math writing, it commonly appears in inequality statements to contrast with “<” or “≤” by implying the left side is not just smaller, but substantially smaller. In plain text and documentation, it can also be used for stylized comparisons, labeling, or teaching materials where the difference between mild and strong inequality matters. When typesetting, it’s typically treated as a math symbol and may render best in Unicode-capable fonts.
How do I copy and paste the symbol ⋘?
Copy it directly from this page as the character “⋘”, then paste into your document, email, design tool, or code editor.
What is the Unicode code point for ⋘?
The Unicode code point is U+22D8.
Can I use ⋘ in HTML?
Yes. Use the HTML entity: ⋘.
How can I insert ⋘ with CSS or JavaScript?
CSS escape: \\22D8. JavaScript escape: \\u{22D8}.