Less than or equal symbol
The less than or equal to symbol ≤ is the “at most” sign: it says the left side may be smaller, or it may be exactly equal — both pass. This page is its full home (the less than equal to symbol spelling included): copy ≤ in both its forms, see it set limits in real statements, and learn how it differs from a plain <, which refuses equality.
Copy the sign and its family
Statements ready to copy
≤ or < — the difference that matters
| Sign | What it allows | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ | Smaller OR exactly equal — the boundary is included | x ≤ 10 passes for 10 itself |
| < | Strictly smaller — the boundary is excluded | x < 10 fails for 10 |
| ≥ | The mirror: greater or equal — “at least” | x ≥ 10 also passes for 10 |
Read ≤ aloud as “less than or equal to”, or in plain words “at most”: a lift signed ≤ 8 persons takes eight, not nine. The full-width form ≦ (U+2266) writes the same idea with the equals shown as two full lines — common in East Asian typesetting; the slanted ≤ (U+2264) is the everyday sign everywhere else.
How to type it
| Platform | Method |
|---|---|
| Windows (Word) | Type 2264 then Alt + X; or Alt + 8804 on the numeric keypad |
| Excel / Sheets | Type the two characters <= and the formula reads it as less-or-equal automatically; for display text, copy ≤ from here |
| Mac | No single shortcut — use the Character Viewer (search “less-than or equal”) or copy from here |
| HTML / LaTeX | HTML: numeric code 8804 or the “le” entity name (ampersand + le;). LaTeX: \leq |
Explore more
The mirror sign lives on the greater than or equal symbol page, the two plain signs share the less than symbol page, and all of them gather in the math symbols collection.
Frequently asked questions
What does ≤ mean in one line?
“At most.” x ≤ 10 means x can be anything up to and including 10. If a statement must exclude the boundary itself, the strict sign < is the right tool instead.
How is ≤ typed in Excel formulas?
As two characters: <= — as in =IF(A1<=10,"ok","over"). Excel and Google Sheets both read the pair as a single less-than-or-equal test. The single character ≤ is for formatted text and labels, not formulas.
≤ or ≦ — which one should I copy?
≤ (U+2264) for almost everything: documents, chats, code comments. ≦ (U+2266) appears in some Japanese and formal typesetting where the equals part is drawn double-width; the meaning is identical.
What is the opposite of ≤?
Two different answers: the mirror is ≥ (greater than or equal — swap sides and ≤ becomes ≥), while the strict logical opposite is > alone: “not ≤” means “greater than”, with no equality allowed.