LaTeX Greek Letters: Full List with Commands and Variants

The 24 Greek letters with their LaTeX math-mode commands for lowercase and uppercase
Letter	Lower	Lowercase command	Upper	Uppercase command
Alpha	α	\alpha	Α	none, type `A`
Beta	β	\beta	Β	none, type `B`
Gamma	γ	\gamma	Γ	\Gamma
Delta	δ	\delta	Δ	\Delta
Epsilon	ε	\epsilon	Ε	none, type `E`
Zeta	ζ	\zeta	Ζ	none, type `Z`
Eta	η	\eta	Η	none, type `H`
Theta	θ	\theta	Θ	\Theta
Iota	ι	\iota	Ι	none, type `I`
Kappa	κ	\kappa	Κ	none, type `K`
Lambda	λ	\lambda	Λ	\Lambda
Mu	μ	\mu	Μ	none, type `M`
Nu	ν	\nu	Ν	none, type `N`
Xi	ξ	\xi	Ξ	\Xi
Omicron	ο	none, type `o`	Ο	none, type `O`
Pi	π	\pi	Π	\Pi
Rho	ρ	\rho	Ρ	none, type `P`
Sigma	σ	\sigma	Σ	\Sigma
Tau	τ	\tau	Τ	none, type `T`
Upsilon	υ	\upsilon	Υ	\Upsilon
Phi	φ	\phi	Φ	\Phi
Chi	χ	\chi	Χ	none, type `X`
Psi	ψ	\psi	Ψ	\Psi
Omega	ω	\omega	Ω	\Omega

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · October 2026 · How we review content

Key facts

LaTeX writes a Greek letter as a backslash plus its English name, such as \alpha, \lambda or \Omega, and the command works only in math mode.
Eleven Greek capitals have a command: \Gamma, \Delta, \Theta, \Lambda, \Xi, \Pi, \Sigma, \Upsilon, \Phi, \Psi and \Omega. The other 13 look like Latin capitals, so you type the Latin letter.
Omicron has no command in either case; type a plain o or O.
Variant shapes have their own commands: \varepsilon, \vartheta, \varpi, \varrho, \varsigma and \varphi, plus \varkappa from the amssymb package.
\mathbf leaves lowercase Greek letters unchanged; use \boldsymbol (amsmath) or \bm (bm package) for bold Greek.
In XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX with unicode-math, you can type α directly in a formula instead of \alpha.

How to type LaTeX Greek letters in math mode

The table above lists each letter’s command. Every command is a backslash followed by the letter’s English name, and every command needs math mode.

Step 1: Enter math mode

Put the letter between dollar signs for inline math, as in $\alpha$ , or inside an equation environment for display math. Outside math mode, LaTeX stops with “Missing $ inserted”.

Step 2: Type the command

Use the lowercase name for lowercase and a capitalised name for capitals: \sigma gives σ and \Sigma gives Σ. Write \lambda with the full spelling, as the table shows.

Step 3: Use the Latin letter where there is no command

Thirteen capitals (A, B, E, Z, H, I, K, M, N, O, P, T, X) and the lowercase omicron have no command, as the next section explains. Type the Latin letter in those cases.

Which Greek capitals have no LaTeX command?

LaTeX defines a capital command only where the Greek capital looks different from every Latin capital. Alpha, beta, epsilon, zeta, eta, iota, kappa, mu, nu, omicron, rho, tau and chi are drawn like A, B, E, Z, H, I, K, M, N, O, P, T and X, so a command would add nothing: type the Latin letter. Upsilon is not on the list because Υ looks like a Y but has the command \Upsilon.

There is one catch. In math mode a typed Latin capital is set in math italic, while \Gamma and the other capital commands are upright. If a formula needs an upright capital alpha, write \mathrm{A}.

What are the variant forms?

Seven letters have alternate shapes with their own commands. The table gives the command, the package it needs, and what changes.

Command	Package	What it gives
`\varepsilon`	base LaTeX	The curly epsilon ε. `\epsilon` draws the lunate ϵ
`\vartheta`	base LaTeX	The script theta ϑ
`\varpi`	base LaTeX	Pi with a long crossbar, ϖ
`\varrho`	base LaTeX	The tailed rho ϱ
`\varsigma`	base LaTeX	The final sigma ς
`\varphi`	base LaTeX	The curly phi φ. `\phi` draws the stroked ϕ in the default font; some math fonts differ, so compile and look
`\varkappa`	amssymb	The open kappa ϰ

Fonts differ in which shape they treat as the default, so a variant that looks right in one font may not in another.

How do I get bold Greek letters?

Use \boldsymbol{\alpha}, which comes from amsmath, or \bm{\alpha} from the bm package. The bm documentation describes \bm as handling more cases carefully than \boldsymbol. Do not use \mathbf{\alpha}: it leaves lowercase Greek letters unchanged.

How do I get upright Greek letters?

Lowercase Greek letters in math are italic by default, and \mathrm{\alpha} does not change them. The upgreek package adds upright versions as \upalpha, \upbeta and so on, following the pattern \up plus the letter name. With XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX, unicode-math handles upright and italic Greek through its font and options; read its manual for the settings.

Can I use Greek letters outside math mode?

Yes, in three ways. For one symbol in text, use \ensuremath{\alpha}. For upright Greek letters as text symbols, load the textgreek package and use commands such as \textbeta; its manual lists the full set. For Greek words and sentences, use language support such as babel rather than symbol commands. We have listed these by name only, so check the package manuals for options.

Can I type Greek letters directly with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX?

Yes. The unicode-math package provides Unicode mathematics for XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX, and it requires an OpenType math font set with \setmathfont. With it you can write α in a formula. In plain pdfLaTeX, a typed α normally produces an error that the Unicode character is not set up for use with LaTeX, so stay with commands there. For the code points behind each letter, see Greek alphabet Unicode, and for what each symbol means, see Greek letters in math and science. Typing methods outside LaTeX are on how to type Greek letters.

Sources

The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List, CTAN (Scott Pakin)
List of Greek letters and math symbols, Overleaf (confirms commands for the 24 letters; it does not list every variant)
upgreek, CTAN: upright Greek letters as math symbols
textgreek, CTAN: upright Greek letters as text symbols
bm, CTAN: bold math, including how it compares with \boldsymbol
unicode-math, CTAN: Unicode maths for XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX

Not independently confirmed: the exact shapes some fonts give \varphi and \phi, which is why we say to compile and look. Keep this page for LaTeX Greek letters and the commands you need to write them, and check a package manual whenever a command behaves differently on your setup.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between \epsilon and \varepsilon?

They are two shapes of the same letter. In standard LaTeX math, \epsilon draws the lunate form ϵ and \varepsilon draws the curly form ε. Pick one and keep it consistent through a document, because some authors give the two shapes different meanings.

Which Greek letters have variant forms in LaTeX?

Epsilon, theta, pi, rho, sigma, phi and kappa. The commands are \varepsilon, \vartheta, \varpi, \varrho, \varsigma, \varphi and \varkappa, and \varkappa needs the amssymb package. Each gives an alternate shape of the letter, so compile the document and look at the result.

Why does LaTeX say "Missing $ inserted" when I use \alpha?

Greek letter commands only work in math mode, so LaTeX reports "Missing $ inserted" when \alpha sits in ordinary text. Wrap the letter in dollar signs, as in $\alpha$, or use \ensuremath{\alpha}, which switches to math mode only when it needs to.

Which packages do Greek letters in LaTeX need?

None for the basic commands; \alpha through \Omega are in base LaTeX. You need amssymb for \varkappa, amsmath for \boldsymbol, bm for \bm, upgreek for upright lowercase, textgreek for text-mode letters, and unicode-math for direct Unicode input. Load each with \usepackage in the preamble.

Do these commands work in Overleaf?

Yes. Overleaf compiles real LaTeX, so the commands and packages here behave the same as on your own machine. Only the engine matters: unicode-math needs XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX rather than pdfLaTeX. If a package is missing, the error log names it, and the package documentation on CTAN has the details.

Where can I check a LaTeX symbol that is not listed here?

Use The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List by Scott Pakin on CTAN. It catalogs symbols by topic and package, and shows which package each command needs. Check the package documentation as well, since options change how Greek letters look. The sources are linked at the end of this page.

How do I write a Greek letter in normal text, not math mode?

The simplest way is \ensuremath{\alpha}, which gives the math-mode letter inside text. For upright Greek letters in running text, load the textgreek package and use commands such as \textbeta. For whole Greek words, use proper Greek language support such as babel and read its documentation.

How do I make a Greek letter bold in LaTeX?

Use \boldsymbol{\alpha} from amsmath, or \bm{\alpha} from the bm package, which the bm documentation describes as more careful than \boldsymbol. Do not use \mathbf: it leaves lowercase Greek letters unchanged. Load the package in the preamble, and check the output, since bold Greek depends on the fonts in use.

How do I get upright Greek letters, such as an upright mu?

Standard lowercase Greek is italic, and \mathrm does not change it. The upgreek package adds upright commands that follow the pattern \up plus the letter name, such as \upalpha. With XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX and unicode-math, upright and italic Greek are controlled by the math font and its package options.

Can I type α directly in a LaTeX document?

Yes with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX and the unicode-math package, which reads Unicode letters in formulas and needs an OpenType math font. In plain pdfLaTeX, typing α usually fails with an error that the Unicode character is not set up for use with LaTeX, so use the commands instead.

Why is a typed capital A italic but \Gamma upright in a formula?

In math mode, Latin letters are set in math italic, while Greek capitals from commands such as \Gamma and \Delta are upright. A capital Greek letter typed as a Latin A, B or E therefore comes out italic. For an upright one, write \mathrm{A}. Check the output when you mix both kinds.

Can I just copy the Greek letter instead of using LaTeX?

In a document compiled with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX, yes, if the font has Greek glyphs. In pdfLaTeX, pasted Greek characters usually fail. Copy buttons for every letter, with code points and HTML entities, are on the Greek alphabet page and the Unicode page.