Less Than But Not Equal To (≨) is the Mathematical Operators character at Unicode U+2268 (LESS-THAN BUT NOT EQUAL TO). It means “less than, and not equal” — often drawn as < over a double equals with a slash.
Remember
Character ≨
Unicode U+2268
Named entity ≨ or ≨
Hex entity ≨
Decimal ≨
CSS escape \2268
Not the same ⪇ (U+2A87) · ≤ (≤) · ≠ (≠) · ≩ (≩)
Prefer ≨ or ≨ in HTML. Alternatives: ≨ or ≨. Watch the capital E — ⪇ is a different symbol.
Using Named: ≨
Using Alias: ≨
Using Hex Code: ≨
Using HTML Code: ≨
Using CSS Entity: ≨
a ≨ b
How It Works
1. Named:≨ and ≨ are HTML5 names for U+2268 → ≨. Prefer these for readable source.
2. Hex:U+2268 → ≨ in HTML. Same glyph as named.
3. Decimal: same code point as 8808 → ≨.
4. CSS: use \2268 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ≨ after the paragraph text.
5. Case:⪇ / ⪇ are not aliases — they point to U+2A87. Keep the capital E in ≨.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with Less Than But Not Equal To.
Case
≨ ≠ ⪇
Capital E selects U+2268. Lowercase ⪇ / ⪇ select U+2A87 — a different not-equal form.
Meaning
Not the same as ≤
≤ means less-than-or-equal. ≨ means less-than-but-not-equal. Pick the relation you actually need.
Pair
Mirror is ≩
Greater-than but not equal is U+2269 — use ≩ / ≩, not this entity flipped by CSS.
Fonts
Math glyph coverage
Most modern fonts include U+2268, but always check your target devices if the symbol is critical.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\2268 belongs in CSS. ≨ / ≨ / ≨ belong in HTML.
A11y
Add nearby words
Pair the glyph with label text (for example a ≨ b) or use aria-label when it stands alone.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ≨, not &lnE.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Less Than But Not Equal To (U+2268) and its entity forms (≨, ≨, ≨, ≨, CSS \\2268) are supported in all modern browsers. Glyph coverage depends on the font.
✓ Universal encoding
Less Than But Not Equal To (≨)
Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ≨ directly in UTF-8 HTML.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerIE 9+
Yes*
U+2268Full support
Bottom line: Prefer ≨ or ≨ for readable HTML. Use \\2268 only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: this symbol is U+2268 (decimal 8808).
HTML: prefer ≨ or ≨ — also ≨ / ≨.
Use ≨ or ≨ (named), ≨ (hex), ≨ (decimal), or the CSS escape \2268 in the content property. All render ≨ when the font supports Mathematical Operators.
U+2268 (LESS-THAN BUT NOT EQUAL TO). Hex 2268, decimal 8808. It belongs to Mathematical Operators (U+2200–U+22FF).
Yes. HTML5 defines ≨ and ≨ for U+2268. Prefer ≨ or ≨ for readable math markup.
Use it in inequalities and proofs when a value is strictly less than another and not equal — the double-bar “not equal” form of less-than. Prefer named entities for readable source.
HTML entities (≨, ≨, ≨, or ≨) go in markup. The CSS escape \2268 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ≨.
No. ≨ / ≨ are U+2268 (≨). Lowercase ⪇ / ⪇ are U+2A87 (less-than and single-line not equal to). Entity names are case-sensitive.
🤔
Did you know?
Less Than But Not Equal To is Unicode U+2268 (decimal 8808) — LESS-THAN BUT NOT EQUAL TO in Mathematical Operators. HTML5 named entities: ≨ and ≨. Capital E matters: lowercase ⪇ / ⪇ map to a different character (U+2A87).
