±
± Plus-Minus Sign
The plus-minus sign (±) means “plus or minus”, giving both a positive and a negative value or a tolerance range.
Also known as: plus or minus symbol, plus minus sign, tolerance symbol.
Codes
| Symbol | ± | |
| Unicode | U+00B1 | |
| HTML entity (named) | ± | |
| HTML entity (decimal) | ± | |
| HTML entity (hex) | ± | |
| CSS | \00B1 | |
| LaTeX | \pm | |
| Windows Alt code | Alt + 0177 |
How to type ± (Plus-Minus Sign)
WindowsAlt + 0177
Hold Alt and type 0177 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.
Mac⌥ + ⇧ + =
Press Option + Shift + = (the equals key).
Microsoft Word00B1, Alt + X
Type 00B1, then press Alt + X to convert it to ±.
Google Docs
Insert → Special characters, then search “plus minus” and click the ± symbol.
LaTeX\pm
Use \pm in math mode (the companion minus-plus sign is \mp).
Usage
- In measurements, 5 ± 0.2 cm means the true value lies between 4.8 and 5.2 cm (tolerance).
- The quadratic formula uses ±: x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / 2a, giving both roots.
- In statistics, results are reported as mean ± margin of error, e.g. 50 ± 3%.