Beta Symbol (β Β): How to Type It Everywhere

Q: What does the beta symbol mean?

Beta is the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet, written Β (uppercase) and β (lowercase). It's used for a great many things: a "beta" version of software, a stock's volatility (beta) in finance, beta decay in nuclear physics, and the regression coefficient in statistics, among others.

Q: What's the difference between β and ß?

β is the Greek small letter beta (U+03B2), used in maths, science and finance, while ß is the German eszett or "sharp s" (U+00DF), a letter of the German alphabet. They look similar and are often confused, even in published papers, but they're different characters that behave differently in search, sorting and code — so use the one you actually mean.

Q: How do I type beta on Windows?

Hold Alt and type 946 on the numeric keypad for β, or 914 for Β, in a Unicode-aware app. In Word, you can also type 03B2 (or 0392) and press Alt + X, or use \beta in an equation. For lots of Greek, add the Greek keyboard layout.

Q: How do I type beta on a Mac?

Macs have no plain Option shortcut for beta. Open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space, search "beta," and insert β or Β, or enable Unicode Hex Input and hold Option while typing 03B2. You can also add the Greek input source.

Q: What does beta mean in finance?

In finance, beta (β) measures how volatile a stock or portfolio is compared with the overall market. A beta of 1 means it moves with the market, above 1 means it's more volatile, and below 1 means it's less volatile. It comes from the Capital Asset Pricing Model and is a key measure of risk.

Q: What is beta testing?

Beta testing is a pre-release phase in software development where a nearly finished version is given to users outside the development team to find bugs and gather feedback. It comes after alpha testing and before the general public release — which is why apps are often labelled "beta."

Short answer: Tap a beta below to copy it. To type it: on Windows, Alt + 946 = β, Alt + 914 = Β (numeric keypad); on Mac, open the Character Viewer (Control + Command + Space) and search “beta,” or use Unicode Hex Input (Option + 03B2); in Word, type 03B2 then Alt + X; in HTML use β / Β; in LaTeX use \beta.

Beta is the 2nd Greek letter — see the whole set in the Greek alphabet guide, or get any letter’s codes from the Alt Code Finder.

Beta (Β uppercase, β lowercase) is the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet, and you meet it constantly: a “beta” version of software, a stock’s beta in finance, beta decay in physics, and the regression coefficient in statistics. First, a look-alike worth getting right.

β vs ß vs B — don’t mix them up

Three characters look similar and are genuinely confused, even in published research:

β — Greek small letter beta (U+03B2): the one you want for maths, science and finance.
ß — the German eszett / sharp s (U+00DF): a letter of the German alphabet, not Greek. See umlauts & eszett.
B — Latin capital B (U+0042): often stands in for uppercase beta, since they look identical in most fonts.

They behave differently in search, sorting, URLs, formulas and code, so use the exact character you mean. If unsure, paste it into a Unicode inspector — lowercase beta is U+03B2.

Greek beta compared with the German eszett and the Latin B

Quick reference

Symbol	Name	Windows	Mac	HTML	LaTeX	Unicode
β	Greek small beta	Alt + 946	Viewer / Hex Input	`β`	`\beta`	U+03B2
Β	Greek capital beta	Alt + 914	Viewer / Hex Input	`Β`	`B`	U+0392

Type beta on Windows

Alt codes: hold Alt, type on the numeric keypad (Num Lock on): Alt + 946 → β, Alt + 914 → Β. Use a Unicode-aware app (Word, browsers, email). (Legacy apps may use Alt + 225 for β.)
Word: type 03B2 and press Alt + X for β, or 0392 + Alt + X for Β. In an equation (Alt + =), type \beta then Space.
Lots of Greek: add the Greek keyboard and switch with Windows + Space.

Type beta on Mac

Macs have no plain Option shortcut for beta:

Character Viewer: press Control + Command + Space, search “beta,” and double-click β or Β.
Unicode Hex Input: enable that input source, then hold Option and type 03B2 for β.
Or add the Greek input source for regular Greek typing.

Beta in Word & Excel

Word: the 03B2 + Alt + X method above, or Insert → Symbol → (Greek and Coptic).
Excel: use Insert → Symbol and pick β or Β from a Greek-capable font (in a worksheet cell the Symbol dialog is more reliable than Alt + X), or paste it. =UNICHAR(946) returns β in a formula.

Beta in HTML & LaTeX

HTML: β → β, Β → Β; numeric fallbacks β / Β (or hex β / Β) work too.
LaTeX (math mode): \beta for β. Uppercase beta is normally just B (or \mathrm{B}), since it’s identical to the Latin capital in most fonts.

Type beta on Linux & phone

Linux: Ctrl + Shift + U, then 03b2 (β) or 0392 (Β), then Enter.
Phone: add a Greek keyboard (iPhone: Settings → General → Keyboard; Android: Gboard languages) and switch with the globe key, or copy β/Β from the tool above.

What beta means

Beta version / beta testing — in software, a pre-release version given to users outside the dev team for testing and feedback, after “alpha” and before public release.
Finance (β) — a stock or portfolio’s volatility relative to the whole market (from the CAPM model): β = 1 moves with the market, β > 1 is more volatile, β < 1 less. A core risk measure.
Beta decay (β) — in nuclear physics, radioactive decay emitting a beta particle: β⁻ is electron emission, β⁺ is positron emission.
Regression coefficient (β) — in statistics, the slope/effect size in a regression; standardized “beta” coefficients compare predictors.
Type II error (β) — in hypothesis testing, the chance of a false negative; statistical power is 1 − β.
Also — the beta function and beta distribution in maths; angles in geometry and aerodynamics; and in biology, beta cells, beta sheets, beta blockers and beta-carotene.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Alt + 946 gives the wrong character	Use the numeric keypad with Num Lock on, in a Unicode-aware app.
β shows as a box ▯	Font lacks the glyph — switch to Arial, Calibri, Cambria or Segoe UI Symbol. See symbol showing as a box.
I typed ß instead of β	ß is the German eszett (U+00DF), a different letter. Use β (U+03B2) for Greek beta — see umlauts & eszett.
Uppercase beta looks like a plain B	It is nearly identical to Latin B in most fonts; use the true Β (U+0392) only when the encoding must be Greek.
Search/sort treats my beta oddly	You may have a look-alike (ß or B) — confirm the code point is U+03B2.

Recap

Windows → Alt + 946 (β) / Alt + 914 (Β); Word: 03B2 + Alt + X.
Mac → Character Viewer (Control + Command + Space) or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 03B2).
Web → β / Β. LaTeX → \beta (uppercase = B).
Don’t confuse → β (Greek) vs ß (German) vs B (Latin).

Frequently asked questions

What does the beta symbol mean?

Beta is the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet, written Β (uppercase) and β (lowercase). It’s used for a great many things: a “beta” version of software, a stock’s volatility (beta) in finance, beta decay in nuclear physics, and the regression coefficient in statistics, among others.

What’s the difference between β and ß?

β is the Greek small letter beta (U+03B2), used in maths, science and finance, while ß is the German eszett or “sharp s” (U+00DF), a letter of the German alphabet. They look similar and are often confused, even in published papers, but they’re different characters that behave differently in search, sorting and code — so use the one you actually mean.

How do I type beta on Windows?

Hold Alt and type 946 on the numeric keypad for β, or 914 for Β, in a Unicode-aware app. In Word, you can also type 03B2 (or 0392) and press Alt + X, or use \beta in an equation. For lots of Greek, add the Greek keyboard layout.

How do I type beta on a Mac?

Macs have no plain Option shortcut for beta. Open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space, search “beta,” and insert β or Β, or enable Unicode Hex Input and hold Option while typing 03B2. You can also add the Greek input source.

What does beta mean in finance?

In finance, beta (β) measures how volatile a stock or portfolio is compared with the overall market. A beta of 1 means it moves with the market, above 1 means it’s more volatile, and below 1 means it’s less volatile. It comes from the Capital Asset Pricing Model and is a key measure of risk.

What is beta testing?

Beta testing is a pre-release phase in software development where a nearly finished version is given to users outside the development team to find bugs and gather feedback. It comes after alpha testing and before the general public release — which is why apps are often labelled “beta.”

Written by Igor R.. Tested on Windows 11, macOS, Word, Excel and LaTeX. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard. Last updated July 2026.