SymbolHub

Omicron Symbol (ο)

The omicron symbol ο is Unicode U+03BF, the Greek short o. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+03BF
HTML
ο
Word
03BF Alt+X

How to type the omicron symbol (ο)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ο yourself, use the method for your device below.

Windows

  1. In Word or Outlook, type 03BF and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Greek Small Letter Omicron, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for omicron and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 03BF.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 3bf, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Copy ο from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;omic. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. Copy ο here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 03BF, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 03BF in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Insert → Special characters, then search for “omicron” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(959) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ο or ο in your HTML.

What does ο mean?

Omicron (ο, capital Ο) is the fifteenth Greek letter, whose name means “little o”, as opposed to omega, “big o”. It looks identical to the Latin o, which is why it is rarely used as a maths symbol and why scammers sometimes swap it into web addresses to create look-alike domains. The World Health Organization gave the name Omicron to a COVID-19 variant in November 2021.

Common uses

  • Greek text: λόγος (logos)
  • Naming: the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2
  • Security: a common homoglyph in phishing domains

Omicron Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming

Every code below produces ο. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.

Unicode code pointU+03BF
HTML entity (named)ο
HTML decimalο
HTML hexο
CSS contentcontent: "\3BF";
JavaScript"\u03BF"
Python"\u03BF"
Python (by name)"\N{GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON}"
Java / C#"\u03BF"
UTF-8 bytesCE BF
UTF-1603BF
URL encoded%CE%BF

ο vs look-alike characters

These characters look similar to ο but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.

CharNameWhen to use it
O
U+006F		Latin small o. Visually identical; only the code point differs (U+006F vs U+03BF).
Digit Zero
U+0030		The digit zero, which is narrower in most fonts.

Symbols similar to ο

Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full greek letters collection.

ο character properties

Official Unicode name
GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON
Also known as
omicron, greek letter omicron
Code point
U+03BF
Unicode block
Greek and Coptic (U+0370–U+03FF)
General category
Lowercase letter (Ll)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
No, it is a text symbol

Frequently asked questions

Why is omicron dangerous in web addresses?

Because ο looks exactly like the Latin o, attackers can register domains that read the same as a real one. Browsers show such addresses in Punycode (xn--) to warn you.

Is there an alt code for the omicron symbol?

No. ο is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 03BF then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the omicron symbol on a Mac?

There is no single Option shortcut for ο on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “omicron” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the omicron symbol?

Use the named entity ο or the numeric reference ο (hex ο). All three display ο in every browser.

What is the Unicode for the omicron symbol?

ο is U+03BF, officially named GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON, in the Greek and Coptic block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).