What ⋜ means
It means “less than or equal to.”
In a ⋜ b, the relation holds if a is smaller than b or the two values are equal. In plain words, a is at most b.
How does ⋜ fit the history of inequality signs?
It belongs to a wider family of inequality notation. Accounts record competing forms: John Wallis used a bar above < and > in 1670; Pierre Bouguer published double-bar forms in 1734. Later practice favored simpler signs such as the single-bar ≤. These are historical relatives, not evidence that either man created this exact glyph.
Don't confuse it with
2Questions people ask
1Why does ⋜ show as a box on some devices?
Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.
How to type ⋜
Windows (Word)
Alt+XType 22DC, then Alt+X to get ⋜.
Windows
Win+Rrun charmap for the full table, or use the emoji picker's Ω symbols tab (Win + .).
macOS
Control+Command+SpaceOpen the character viewer and search “equal to or less-than”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType 22dc, then Enter or Space.
HTML
⋜CSS
\22DCWord equation editor
As of 2026-09-04, in a Word equation, type `\eqless` and press `Space`.
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
⋜
HTML hex
⋜
CSS content
content: "\22DC";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%E2%8B%9C
1
On screen
1
Code points
1
JS .length
3
UTF-8 bytes
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.