HTML Entity for Lesser Than (<)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Lesser Than symbol (<) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, named entity, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+003C (LESS-THAN SIGN) in the Basic Latin block—essential for math, programming comparisons, and web content.
Because < is reserved in HTML (it starts a tag), use <, <, or < in markup. Pair with > for greater-than comparisons. CSS escape: \3C. Not the same as ≤ (≤, less-than-or-equal).
⚡ Quick Reference — Lesser Than
U+003CBasic Latin (ASCII)
<Hexadecimal reference
<Decimal reference
<Most readable option
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+003C
Hex code <
HTML code <
Named entity <
CSS code \3C
Meaning Less-than sign
Reserved Yes — escape in HTML content
Pair with > for greater than (>)Complete HTML Example
A simple example showing the Lesser Than symbol (<) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, the named entity, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point:after{
content: "\3C";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Lesser Than using Hexadecimal: <</p>
<p>Lesser Than using Decimal: <</p>
<p>Lesser Than using Named Entity: <</p>
<p id="point">Lesser Than using CSS Entity: </p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Lesser Than symbol (<) is universally supported in all modern browsers:
👀 Live Preview
See the Lesser Than symbol (<) in comparison contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
< uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 3C to display the symbol. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
< uses the decimal Unicode value 60 to display the same character.
Named Entity
< is the standard named entity—prevents < from being parsed as the start of an HTML tag.
CSS Entity
\3C is used in CSS stylesheets in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::after.
Same visual result
All four methods produce the glyph: <. Unicode U+003C is in Basic Latin. Pair: Greater Than (U+003E / >). Previous: Less Than With Dot.
Use Cases
The Lesser Than symbol (<) is commonly used in:
Strict less-than in math, logic, and numeric comparisons (e.g. x < 10).
Docs and tutorials for < operators and comparison APIs.
Show literal < in HTML content without breaking markup.
Teach HTML escaping and comparison symbols in courses.
Display tag syntax or angle brackets in tutorials about HTML/XML.
HTML entity references and reserved-character guides.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Always use
<when showing<in HTML text content - Prefer
<for readable, maintainable markup - Pair with
>when documenting comparison operators - Use
≤(≤) when you need less-than-or-equal, not plain< - Serve pages with UTF-8 (
<meta charset="utf-8">)
Don’t
- Type raw
<in HTML body text—it starts a tag - Put CSS escape
\3Cin HTML text nodes - Confuse
<with≤(≤) - Forget to escape
<inside attribute values when needed - Assume CDATA or script blocks remove the need to understand escaping
Key Takeaways
Three HTML references plus CSS all render <
< < <For CSS stylesheets, use \3C in the content property
Unicode U+003C — LESS-THAN SIGN (reserved in HTML)
< is required to display a literal < in HTML content
Previous: Less Than With Dot Next: Lezh
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
< (hex), < (decimal), < (named), or \3C in CSS content. All produce <. Because < is reserved, always use an entity in HTML text.U+003C (LESS-THAN SIGN). Basic Latin block. Hex 3C, decimal 60. Named entity: <.< starts a tag. If you type it directly in content, the browser interprets it as markup. Use <, <, or < to render a visible less-than sign.< (<, U+003C) is strict less-than. ≤ (≤, U+2264) is less-than-or-equal—a separate mathematical operator. Use < for plain comparisons and ≤ for inclusive inequalities.Explore More HTML Entities!
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