Not Equal Symbol ≠ — Copy, Paste & Learn
≠
Not Equal To (U+2260)
What Does the Not Equal Symbol Mean?
The not equal symbol (≠) indicates that two values are different. It is the negation of the equals sign (=) and is used across mathematics, programming, logic, and everyday writing. If A ≠ B, it means A and B have different values.
Uses of the Not Equal Symbol
Mathematics
In mathematics, ≠ is used in equations and inequalities to state that two expressions are not equal. For example, 5 ≠ 3 is a true statement. It is taught early in school alongside =, <, >, ≤, and ≥.
Programming
Most programming languages use variations of the not equal operator:
- != — Used in C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Python (also supports <>)
- <> — Used in older BASIC, Pascal, SQL, and some versions of Python
- ~= — Used in Lua
- /= — Used in Ada, Fortran, Eiffel
Note: The actual ≠ symbol is rarely used in source code. Programmers type the ASCII equivalents above instead.
Logic
In formal logic, ≠ represents the negation of equality. If P(x) means "x equals y," then ¬P(x) or x ≠ y means "x does not equal y."
Related Comparison Symbols
| Symbol | Name | Unicode | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| = | Equals | U+003D | Equal to |
| ≠ | Not Equal To | U+2260 | Not equal to |
| < | Less Than | U+003C | Less than |
| > | Greater Than | U+003E | Greater than |
| ≤ | Less Than or Equal | U+2264 | Less than or equal to |
| ≥ | Greater Than or Equal | U+2265 | Greater than or equal to |
| ≈ | Almost Equal | U+2248 | Approximately equal |
| ≡ | Identical To | U+2261 | Exactly equivalent |
| ≢ | Not Identical | U+2262 | Not exactly equivalent |
How to Type the Not Equal Symbol
Windows
Hold Alt and type 8800 on the numeric keypad. Or use the Character Map (search for "not equal").
Mac
Press Option + = to type ≠.
iPhone and iPad
There is no direct keyboard shortcut. Copy ≠ from this page, or use a text replacement shortcut: go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add "!=" → "≠".
Android
Long-press the = key on Gboard. If that does not work, use the symbols panel or copy from this page.
HTML
Use the entity ≠ or the numeric code ≠.
LaTeX
Use \\neq or \\ne to produce ≠ in mathematical mode.
Not Equal in Different Fonts
The appearance of ≠ varies by font. Some fonts show a clear slash through the equals sign, while others show it as a more stylized diagonal line. In sans-serif fonts like Arial, it tends to look cleaner. In serif fonts like Times New Roman, the slash has subtle styling.
Fun Facts
- The ≠ symbol was introduced by mathematicians in the 16th century
- In some East Asian computing contexts, ≠ is replaced with full-width variations
- The mathematical symbol for "not equal to" is standardized in Unicode under the Mathematical Operators block
Quick copy: ≠ (not equal) · ≢ (not identical) · ≉ (not approximately)
Last updated: April 2026