An entire website dedicated to the wonderful infinity symbol. Easy copy & paste tools.
How to Type Infinity Symbol on Keyboard
To enter the infinity sign on keyboard in Windows or macOS, use these keystrokes:
Microsoft Windows
Alt+ 2 3 6
(Make sure NumLock is on.)
Apple macOS
To enter the infinity sign on a Mac keyboard, use this shortcut:
⌥ Opt+5
Microsoft Word
To enter the infinity symbol in Word, you can either:
- use the Windows or Mac shortcut above, depending on which OS you’re using
- or go to Insert → Symbol, then in the bottom right, for Character Code, enter “221E”.
iPhone
Unfortunately, the iPhone keyboard doesn’t come with the infinity symbol. Your best bet is to use the copy paste tool at the top of the page.
Infinity Symbol Characters
Are you a software developer? Use these HTML special characters:
HTML Infinity Symbol: ∞ or ∞
Unicode Infinity Symbol: U+221E
Similar Characters to Infinity Symbol ⧜⧝⧞♾
There are a lot of variants of characters that look like the infinity symbol ∞ but actually have entirely different purposes. Learn about them here!
Incomplete Infinity Symbol ⧜
HTML Incomplete Infinity Symbol: ⧜
Unicode Incomplete Infinity Symbol: U+29DC
Tie Over Infinity Symbol ⧝
How it’s used: to mean temperature in degrees Celsius or centigrade
HTML Tie Over Infinity Symbol: ⧝
Unicode Tie Over Infinity Symbol: U+29DD
Infinity Negated with Vertical Bar Symbol ⧞
How it’s used: to mean temperature in degrees Celsius or centigrade
HTML Infinity Negated Symbol: ⧞
Unicode Infinity Negated Symbol: U+29DE
Permanent Paper Symbol ♾
How it’s used: to indicate acid-free paper that will last for a long time
HTML Permanent Paper Symbol: ♾
Unicode Infinity Negated Symbol: U+267E
History of the Infinity Symbol
Given how pervasive the infinity symbol is, you might guess that it’s had a long history. You’d be right. For centuries, the use of a sideways infinity 8 has been used in logos and religious symbols.
In 1655, the infinity symbol was imbued with its mathematical meaning for the very first time. John Wallis, in his De sectionibus conicis (Treatise on the Conic Sections), used it to mean mathematical infinity, or a limitless amount. How’d he come up with this symbol? It’s unclear, but some guess that it came from the Roman Numeral for 1,000, or CIƆ, or from the Greek letter ω (omega), the final letter of the alphabet.
The term “infinity” itself comes from the Latin word infinitas, which means “unboundedness.”
Infinity Symbol Meaning
Use of Infinity in Math
Mathematically, infinity is used to represent an endless quantity. For example, there is an infinity number of integers, going from negative infinity to 0 to positive infinity. Infinity is not an actual specific number – it describes an infinitely large quantity. Infinity is also called the lemniscate
Funnily enough, infinite sets can have different sizes, even though each one is endless. For example, the set of all even numbers, is smaller than the set of all odd and even numbers, even though both sets go to infinity. Wrap your head around that!
| Operations Involving Infinity |
|---|
| ∞ is positive infinity |
| -∞ is negative infinity |
| 1 / ∞ is an infinitely small number (but still larger than 0) |
| ∞ + ∞ is infinity |
| ∞ – ∞ is undefined |
| x – ∞ = -∞ |
| 0 * ∞ is undefined |
| ∞ * ∞ is infinity |
| ∞ / ∞ is undefined |
Other Infinity Symbol Meanings
Beyond math, the infinity symbol has come to represent a large range of concepts related to its endless nature:
- The idea of perfection
- Enduring and everlasting infinity love
- Infinite possibilities
- Unlimited power (as in Marvel’s Infinity Stones from The Avengers)
- The cyclical nature of life (as in the Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail)
For this reason, the infinity logo has become a popular subject of infinity jewelry, tattoos, and t-shirts.
Appearances of the Infinity Sign in Popular Media
Here are some popular uses of the infinity loop that you might have seen before:
Annihilation (2018): In this film, Lena (Natalie Portman) has an infinity sign tattoo on her left forearm. The infinity symbol reflects the cycles of life and death as seen in the movie.
Annihilation (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018): While the infinity symbol doesn’t appear explicitly in this movie, “Infinity” is in the title. The plot revolves around the six Infinity Gems or Infinity Stones wielded by Thanos: the Mind, Soul, Space, Power, Time, and Reality. Anyone who wields all six stones has virtually unlimited power – or infinite power.
X-Files (1997): In the episode Never Again, Agent Scully gets a tattoo of an Ouroboros on her back
X-Files (1997)