Empty Set symbol
Type :empty_set: · Math
Unicode name Empty Set · Mathematical Operators block · added in Unicode 1.1, 1993
What ∅ is for
The set with no members. Worth knowing it is its own character and not a letter: three different glyphs look like this and only one of them is the empty set.
How to type ∅
The shortcuts below are the built-in routes. With
Emoji Anywhere
installed you can skip all of them and type
:empty_set: in any text field instead, which
is the same on every platform.
macOS
No direct shortcut. Use Edit → Emoji & Symbols, or switch to the Unicode Hex
Input source and type 2205 with Option
held.
Windows
No Alt code. In Word, type 2205 then press Alt +
X. Elsewhere use the emoji panel with Win + Period, or Character Map.
Shortcodes
:empty_set: On the web
HTML ∅
Unicode U+2205
JavaScript '\u{2205}'
CSS "\2205"
Python '\u2205'
URL %E2%88%85
What ∅ gets mistaken for
Danish and Norwegian Ø
A letter in an alphabet, frequently substituted because it is easier to type. Wrong in a maths context and wrong to anything reading the text.
the digit zero
Slashed zero in some fonts, which is where a lot of the confusion starts. Zero is a number; the empty set is a set.
More from math
:not_an_element_of: ⊂ :subset_of: ∪ :union: ∩ :intersection: ∀ :for_all: ∃ :there_exists: ¬ :not_negation: ∧ :logical_and: ∨ :logical_or: ∴ :therefore: ∵ :because: ∝ :proportional_to: Every symbol and kaomoji is in the full gallery .
Tired of copying ∅ from pages like this one?
That is exactly what the extension removes. Here is the whole interaction, in every text field you already use:
You type
You get
Your keyboard already knows what you mean
Free, 290 KB, no account. Two letters from now you will never open an emoji panel again.
