Greek Letters in LaTeX: Complete Reference

Comprehensive guide to typing Greek letters in LaTeX. Includes all lowercase and uppercase Greek symbols, variant forms, and usage in math mode.

Basic Usage in LaTeX

Greek letters must be used in math mode. Wrap commands in dollar signs:

Inline math: $\alpha$ produces α
Display math: $$\alpha + \beta = \gamma$$
Equation environment: \begin{equation} \alpha \end{equation}

Complete Greek Alphabet LaTeX Commands

Letter	Lowercase	LaTeX Command	Uppercase	LaTeX Command
Alpha	α	`\alpha`	Α	`A` (regular A)
Beta	β	`\beta`	Β	`B` (regular B)
Gamma	γ	`\gamma`	Γ	`\Gamma`
Delta	δ	`\delta`	Δ	`\Delta`
Epsilon	ε	`\epsilon`	Ε	`E` (regular E)
Zeta	ζ	`\zeta`	Ζ	`Z` (regular Z)
Eta	η	`\eta`	Η	`H` (regular H)
Theta	θ	`\theta`	Θ	`\Theta`
Iota	ι	`\iota`	Ι	`I` (regular I)
Kappa	κ	`\kappa`	Κ	`K` (regular K)
Lambda	λ	`\lambda`	Λ	`\Lambda`
Mu	μ	`\mu`	Μ	`M` (regular M)
Nu	ν	`\nu`	Ν	`N` (regular N)
Xi	ξ	`\xi`	Ξ	`\Xi`
Omicron	ο	`o` (regular o)	Ο	`O` (regular O)
Pi	π	`\pi`	Π	`\Pi`
Rho	ρ	`\rho`	Ρ	`P` (regular P)
Sigma	σ	`\sigma`	Σ	`\Sigma`
Tau	τ	`\tau`	Τ	`T` (regular T)
Upsilon	υ	`\upsilon`	Υ	`\Upsilon`
Phi	φ	`\phi`	Φ	`\Phi`
Chi	χ	`\chi`	Χ	`X` (regular X)
Psi	ψ	`\psi`	Ψ	`\Psi`
Omega	ω	`\omega`	Ω	`\Omega`

Variant Forms

Several Greek letters have variant forms in LaTeX:

Letter	Standard	Command	Variant	Command
Epsilon	ε	`\epsilon`	ϵ	`\varepsilon`
Theta	θ	`\theta`	ϑ	`\vartheta`
Pi	π	`\pi`	ϖ	`\varpi`
Rho	ρ	`\rho`	ϱ	`\varrho`
Sigma	σ	`\sigma`	ς	`\varsigma` (final)
Phi	φ	`\phi`	ϕ	`\varphi`

Common LaTeX Examples

Basic Equations

$\alpha + \beta = \gamma$ → α + β = γ

$E = mc^2$ → E = mc²

$\pi r^2$ → πr²

$\sum_{i=1}^n i = \frac{n(n+1)}{2}$ → Σᵢ₌₁ⁿ i = n(n+1)/2

Calculus

$\lim_{x \to \infty} f(x)$ → limit as x→∞

$\int_0^\pi \sin(x) dx$ → ∫₀^π sin(x) dx

$\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}$ → ∂f/∂x

Statistics

$\mu = 100, \sigma = 15$ → μ = 100, σ = 15

$\rho_{xy} = 0.8$ → ρ_xy = 0.8

$\chi^2$ test → χ² test

Physics

$\lambda = \frac{c}{\nu}$ → λ = c/ν (wavelength)

$\omega = 2\pi f$ → ω = 2πf (angular frequency)

$\tau = r \times F$ → τ = r × F (torque)

Tips for Using Greek Letters in LaTeX

Case Sensitivity

\delta produces δ (lowercase)
\Delta produces Δ (uppercase)
Some uppercase Greek letters use regular Latin letters (A, B, E, etc.)

Subscripts and Superscripts

$\alpha_1$ → α₁ (subscript)
$\beta^2$ → β² (superscript)
$\gamma_{ij}^{k}$ → γᵢⱼᵏ (both)

Bold Greek Letters

$\boldsymbol{\alpha}$ → **α** (bold, requires amsmath)
$\mathbf{\Gamma}$ → **Γ** (bold uppercase)

Quick Copy-Paste Cheat Sheet

Lowercase (Most Used)

\alpha   \beta    \gamma   \delta   \epsilon
\zeta    \eta     \theta   \iota    \kappa
\lambda  \mu      \nu      \xi      \pi
\rho     \sigma   \tau     \upsilon \phi
\chi     \psi     \omega

Uppercase (Capital Letters)

\Gamma   \Delta   \Theta   \Lambda  \Xi
\Pi      \Sigma   \Upsilon \Phi     \Psi
\Omega

Variants

\varepsilon  \vartheta   \varpi     \varrho
\varsigma    \varphi

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting math mode: Greek letters only work inside $ $ or equation environments
Wrong case: \Theta ≠ \theta
Typos: \lamda should be \lambda (two b's)
Omicron: Use regular o and O, not \omicron