Beta Symbol
About Beta Symbol
β is the Beta Symbol, the lowercase form of the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet (Β / β). The Beta Symbol β is among the most common Greek letters in scientific and technical literature, frequently used for In physics it marks beta decay; in statistics and finance it represents the regression slope and the beta coefficient.
【Pronunciation】 In English, β is most often pronounced BEE-tuh or BAY-tuh (IPA: /ˈbiːtə, ˈbeɪtə/). This is simply the anglicized name of the Greek letter.
The lowercase Beta Symbol β is written as a distinct Greek glyph and is assigned codepoint U+03B2 in the Greek and Coptic Unicode block. In plain or sans-serif fonts it can be mistaken for the Latin letter b, so verify the typeface or context.
【Historical Origin】 Beta also comes from the Phoenician alphabet and became a standard symbol with the rise of statistics and radiology.
【Common Uses】 β is highly active across disciplines: In physics it marks beta decay; in statistics and finance it represents the regression slope and the beta coefficient. It often appears alongside the uppercase Sigma Σ and lowercase Sigma σ in formulas, papers, and engineering drawings.
How to Type Beta Symbol
Windows Input
Method 1: Hold Alt and type 946 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt to get β.
Mac Input
Method 2: Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for 'greek' or 'Beta Symbol', then select β.
HTML/CSS Input
Method 3: HTML: β or β or β; CSS: content: "\03B2";
LaTeX Input
Method 4: Use the \beta command in LaTeX math mode to produce β.
Beta Symbol FAQ
How is β pronounced?
The English pronunciation of β is BEE-tuh or BAY-tuh (IPA: /ˈbiːtə, ˈbeɪtə/). It is the anglicized name of the Greek letter, used directly rather than described as 'lowercase β'.
What is the difference between β and the Latin letter b?
β (U+03B2) is a Greek lowercase letter, whereas b is a Latin letter; their codepoints and glyphs differ. In a proper typeface β and b are clearly distinct, but in plain text or sans-serif fonts they can be confused, so rely on context.
How do I type β in Word, web pages, and LaTeX?
On Windows use Alt+946 on the numeric keypad; on Mac open the Character Viewer and search 'greek' or 'Beta Symbol'; on the web use the HTML entity β; in LaTeX use \beta. For bulk use, copy β directly from this page.