Iota Symbol
About Iota Symbol
ι is the Iota Symbol, the lowercase form of the 9th letter of the Greek alphabet (Ι / ι). The Iota Symbol ι is among the most common Greek letters in scientific and technical literature, frequently used for The phrase 'not one iota' means an infinitesimal amount; in mathematics it occasionally denotes a tiny quantity.
【Pronunciation】 In English, ι is most often pronounced eye-OH-tuh (IPA: /aɪˈoʊtə/). This is simply the anglicized name of the Greek letter.
The lowercase Iota Symbol ι is written as a distinct Greek glyph and is assigned codepoint U+03B9 in the Greek and Coptic Unicode block. In plain or sans-serif fonts it can be mistaken for the Latin letter i or l, so verify the typeface or context.
【Historical Origin】 Iota derives from the Phoenician letter yod and became the proverbial 'tiny amount' via biblical translation.
【Common Uses】 ι is highly active across disciplines: The phrase 'not one iota' means an infinitesimal amount; in mathematics it occasionally denotes a tiny quantity. It often appears alongside the uppercase Sigma Σ and lowercase Sigma σ in formulas, papers, and engineering drawings.
How to Type Iota Symbol
Windows Input
Method 1: Hold Alt and type 953 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt to get ι.
Mac Input
Method 2: Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for 'greek' or 'Iota Symbol', then select ι.
HTML/CSS Input
Method 3: HTML: ι or ι or ι; CSS: content: "\03B9";
LaTeX Input
Method 4: Use the \iota command in LaTeX math mode to produce ι.
Iota Symbol FAQ
How is ι pronounced?
The English pronunciation of ι is eye-OH-tuh (IPA: /aɪˈoʊtə/). It is the anglicized name of the Greek letter, used directly rather than described as 'lowercase ι'.
What is the difference between ι and the Latin letter i or l?
ι (U+03B9) is a Greek lowercase letter, whereas i or l is a Latin letter; their codepoints and glyphs differ. In a proper typeface ι and i or l are clearly distinct, but in plain text or sans-serif fonts they can be confused, so rely on context.
How do I type ι in Word, web pages, and LaTeX?
On Windows use Alt+953 on the numeric keypad; on Mac open the Character Viewer and search 'greek' or 'Iota Symbol'; on the web use the HTML entity ι; in LaTeX use \iota. For bulk use, copy ι directly from this page.