The not equal symbol (≠)
The not equal symbol is an equals sign with a line through it — mathematics’ way of saying “these two are different” in a single stroke. Keyboards never gave it a key, so this page is its home: copy ≠ and its relatives, see how each field writes inequality, and pick up the typing routes that do exist.
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How each world writes “not equal”
| World | Form | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | a ≠ b | The true not equal to symbol — one character, unambiguous |
| Programming (most languages) | a != b | Keyboards lack ≠, so ! (logical NOT) + = became the standard operator |
| Excel / Sheets / SQL | a <> b | The older BASIC-era form: less-than + greater-than back to back, “different either way” |
| Some languages & texts | a /= b | A slashed equals typed from ordinary keys (seen in older code and handwriting) |
The does not equal symbol is worth stating precisely: ≠ claims difference, nothing more. It does not say which side is bigger — that is the job of < and > — and it is stronger than ≈ (approximately equal), which claims closeness. Three different claims, three different signs.
Typing it
| Platform | Method |
|---|---|
| Windows / Word | Type 2260 then Alt + X |
| Mac | Option + = |
| HTML | ≠ or ≠ |
| LaTeX | \neq |
| Phone | Long-press the = key on some keyboards — otherwise copy it here |
Explore more
Inequality’s other half lives on the greater than symbol and less than symbol pages, and the full operator family gathers on the math symbols hub.
Frequently asked questions
What does ≠ mean?
“Is not equal to”: the two sides have different values. 3 ≠ 5 is true; 5 ≠ 5 is false.
Why do programmers write != instead?
Because ≠ is not on the keyboard and early character sets lacked it. The ! means NOT, so != reads “not-equal” — and in Excel the surviving form is <> instead.
Is ≠ the opposite of ≈?
Not exactly: = claims sameness, ≈ claims closeness, ≠ claims difference. A value can be ≠ and ≈ at once (3.99 ≈ 4, and 3.99 ≠ 4) — the signs answer different questions.
How do I type ≠ on Windows without Word?
There is no universal Alt code — the Character Map (search “not equal”) or a copy from this page is the reliable route; Word’s 2260 Alt+X works inside Office.
Does ≠ work in filenames or URLs?
It is a non-ASCII character and gets percent-encoded or rejected in most systems — keep it for documents and notes, not file paths.