HTML Entity for Much Less Than (≪)

Beginner
5 min read
Updated: Sep 2026
1 example
Unicode U+226A
HTML Entity for much less-than (U+226A) tutorial illustration
Definition

What Is the Much Less Than Entity?

Much less-than (≪) is the mathematical relation at Unicode U+226A. HTML5 provides &Lt; and &ll;. Do not confuse it with ordinary &lt; (<).

Remember
Character     ≪
Unicode       U+226A
Named entity  &Lt;  (also &ll;)
Hex entity    &#x226A;
Decimal       &#8810;
CSS escape    \226A

Named, hex, decimal, CSS, and a typed character all produce the same glyph: ≪.

Reference

Quick Reference

One table for every form you will actually use.

FormCodeWhere it goes
Named entity&Lt; / &ll;HTML markup (preferred)
Direct character≪UTF-8 HTML text
Hex entity&#x226A;HTML markup
Decimal entity&#8810;HTML markup
CSS escape\226AStylesheet content

When to Use Which

SituationUse
Much smaller / asymptotic comparison&Lt; or &ll;
Need an entity in HTML source&Lt;, &#x226A;, or &#8810;
Generated text via ::before / ::aftercontent: "\226A"
Ordinary less-than (<)See Less Than — &lt;
Much greater-than (≫)See Much Greater Than — &Gt;
See it

Live Preview

Much less-than in short relations and beside lookalikes.

Example x ≪ y
Large glyph ≪
Named entity &Lt; → ≪
vs < / ≫ ≪  |  <  |  ≫
With entities Named: ≪ | Hex: ≪ | Decimal: ≪
Code

Complete HTML Example

One page that shows much less-than with named, hex, decimal, and CSS forms. Use View Output or open the live editor.

Named + Hex + Decimal + CSS

Four ways to produce ≪ in a single document.

html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Much Less Than (≪)</title>
  <style>
    #point::after {
      content: "\226A";
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <p>Using Named Entity: &Lt;</p>
  <p>Using Hex Code: &#x226A;</p>
  <p>Using HTML Code: &#8810;</p>
  <p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
  <p>Relation: x &Lt; y</p>
</body>
</html>
Try It Yourself

How It Works

1. Named: &Lt; (or &ll;) is the clearest HTML form and renders ≪. Note the capital L — &lt; is ordinary <.

2. Hex: U+226A → &#x226A; in HTML. Same result as the named entity.

3. Decimal: same code point as 8810 → &#8810;. Same result as hex and named.

4. CSS: use \226A in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ≪ after the paragraph text.

Pitfalls & Tips

Common mistakes when working with much less-than.

Prefer

Use &Lt; or &ll;

Either named form is clearer than numeric references and is defined in HTML5.

vs <

Capital L matters

&lt; is < (U+003C). &Lt; is ≪. They are different characters.

vs <<

Not two ASCII characters

Typing << creates two less-than signs. Use &Lt; for the single ≪ symbol.

CSS vs HTML

Do not mix escapes

\226A belongs in CSS. &Lt; / &#x226A; / &#8810; belong in HTML.

Encoding

Declare UTF-8

If you type ≪ directly, keep <meta charset="UTF-8"> so the file is not misread.

Semicolon

End references

Always finish with ; — write &Lt;, not &Lt.

Compatibility

Browser Support

Much less-than (U+226A) and its entity forms (&Lt;, &ll;, &#x226A;, &#8810;, CSS \\226A) are supported in all mainstream browsers with a Unicode-capable font.

✓ Universal support

Much Less Than (&Lt;)

Encode with named, hex, decimal, or CSS escape — or type ≪ directly in UTF-8 HTML.

100% Browser coverage
Google Chrome Supported
Yes
Microsoft Edge Supported
Yes
Mozilla Firefox Supported
Yes
Apple Safari Supported
Yes
Opera Supported
Yes
Internet Explorer IE 9+
Yes*
U+226A / &Lt; Full support

Bottom line: Prefer &Lt; or &ll; in mathematical HTML. Use \\226A only inside CSS content.

Remember

Key Takeaways

  • Unicode: much less-than is U+226A (decimal 8810).
  • HTML: prefer &Lt; or &ll;.
  • CSS: use \226A inside content for generated text.
  • Lookalikes: not &lt; (<) and not ASCII <<.

One line: U+226A → prefer &Lt; (also &ll; / &#x226A; / CSS \226A).

Frequently Asked Questions

Use &Lt; or &ll; (named), &#x226A; (hex), &#8810; (decimal), or the CSS escape \226A in the content property. All render ≪. Prefer &Lt; or &ll; in mathematical HTML.
U+226A (MUCH LESS-THAN). Hex 226A, decimal 8810. It belongs to the Mathematical Operators block.
Yes. HTML5 defines &Lt; and &ll; for ≪.
Use it for mathematical inequalities and asymptotic comparisons where one quantity is much smaller than another — for example x ≪ y or f(n) ≪ g(n).
HTML entities (&Lt;, &#8810;, or &#x226A;) go in markup. The CSS escape \226A is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ≪.
No. Much less-than is &Lt; (≪, U+226A). Ordinary less-than is &lt; (<, U+003C). Two ASCII << characters are not the same as the single ≪ symbol.

Did you know?

Much less-than is Unicode U+226A (decimal 8810) — MUCH LESS-THAN in Mathematical Operators. HTML5 provides &Lt; and &ll;. It is not the same as ordinary less-than &lt; (<, U+003C) or two ASCII << characters.

Next: Multimap

Continue with the Multimap (⊸) entity tutorial.

Multimap tutorial →

About the author

Mari Selvan M P
Mari Selvan M P 🔗

Developer, cloud engineer, and technical writer

  • Experience 12 years building web and cloud systems
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I write practical tutorials so students and working developers can learn by doing—from databases and APIs to deployment on AWS.

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