Common pronunciations (in British English - Gimson,1981) of mathematical and scientific symbols are given in the list below.
(all the pages in this section need a unicode font installed - e.g. Arial Unicode MS, Doulos SIL Unicode, Lucida Sans Unicode - see: [The International Phonetic Alphabet in Unicode](http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/ipa-unicode.htm)).
### Symbols
| | | |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------- |
| + | plus | /'plʌs/ |
| - | minus | /'maɪnəs/ |
| ± | plus or minus | /'plʌs ɔ: 'maɪnəs/ |
| x | multiplied by | /'mʌltɪplaɪd baɪ/ |
| / | over; divided by | /'əʊvə/ /dɪ'vaɪdəd/ |
| ÷ | divided | /dɪ'vaɪdəd/ |
| = | equals | /'ɪ:kwəlz/ |
| ≈ | approximately, similar | /ə'prɒksɪmətlɪ/ /'sɪmɪlə tʊ/ |
| ≡ | equivalent to; identical | /ɪk'wɪvələnt tʊ/ /aɪ'dentɪkl tʊ/ |
| ≠ | not equal to | /'nɒt 'iːkwəl tʊ/ |
| > | greater than | /'greɪtə ðən/ |
| < | less than | /'les ðən/ |
| ≥ | greater than or equal to | /'greɪtə ðən ər 'iːkwəl tʊ/ |
| ≤ | less than or equal to | /'les ðən ər' iːkwəl tʊ/ |
| ⊁ | not greater than | /'nɒt 'greɪtə ðən/ |
| ⊀ | not less than | /'nɒt 'les ðən/ |
| ≫ | much greater than | /'mʌʧ 'greɪtə ðən/ |
| ≪ | much less than | /'mʌʧ 'les ðən/ |
| ⊥ | perpendicular to | /pɜːpən'dɪkjʊlə tʊ/ |
| ∣∣ | parallel to | /'pærəlel tʊ/ |
| ≢ | not equivalent to, not identical to | /'nɒt ɪk'wɪvələnt tʊ/ /'nɒt aɪ'dentɪkl tʊ/ |
| ≄≉ | not similar to | /'nɒt 'sɪmɪlə tʊ/ |
| ² | squared | /'skweəd/ |
| ³ | cubed | /'kju:bd/ |
| 4 | to the fourth; to the power four | /tə ðə 'fɔːθ/ /te ðə 'pɑʊə fɔː/ |
| n | to the n; to the nth; to the power n | /tə ðɪ en; tə dɪ enθ; tə ðə pɑʊər en/ |
| √ | root; square root | /ru:t/ /skweə ru:t/ |
| ∛ | cube root | /kju:b ru:t/ |
| ∜ | fourth root | /fɔːθ ruːt/ |
| ! | factorial | /fæk'tɔːrɪəl/ |
| % | percent | /pə'sent/ |
| ∞ | infinity | /ɪn'fɪnətɪ/ |
| ∝ | varies as; proportional to | /'vɛərɪz/ /prə'pɔːʃənəl/ |
| ˙ | dot | /dɒt/ |
| ¨ | double dot | /dʌbl dɒt/ |
| : | is to, ratio of | /reɪʃɪəʊ/ |
| f(x) fx | f; function | /ef/ /'fʌŋkʃən/ |
| f'(x) | f dash; derivative | /dæʃ/ /dɪ'rɪvətɪv/ |
| f''x | f double-dash; second derivative | /'dʌbl dæʃ/ /'sekənd dɪ'rɪvətɪv/ |
| f'''(x) | f triple-dash; f treble-dash; third derivative | /'trɪpl dæʃ/ / trebl dæʃ/ /θɜ:d dɪ'rɪvətɪv/ |
| f(4) | f four; fourth derivative | /fɔːθ dɪ'rɪvətɪv/ |
| ∂ | partial derivative, delta | /paːʃəl dɪ'rɪvətɪv/ /deltə/ |
| ∫ | integral | /'ɪntɪgrəl/ |
| ∑ | sum | /sʌm/ |
| w.r.t. | with respect to | /wɪð 'rɪspekt/ |
| log | log | /lɒg/ |
| log₂x | log to the base 2 of x | /lɒg tə ðə beɪs tu: əv eks/ |
| ∴ | therefore | /'ðɛəfɔː/ |
| ∵ | because | /bɪ'kɒz/ |
| → | gives, leads to, approaches | /gɪvz/ /li:dz tʊ/ /əprəʊʧəz/ |
| / | per | /pɜ:/ |
| ∈ | belongs to; a member of; an element of | /bɪ'lɒŋz/ /'membə/ /'elɪmənt/ |
| ∉ | does not belong to; is not a member of; is not an element of | /nɒt bɪ'lɒŋ/ /nɒt ə 'membə/ /nɒt ən 'elɪmənt/ |
| ⊂ | contained in; a proper subset of | /kən'teɪnd ɪn/ /'prɒpə 'sʌbset/ |
| ⊆ | contained in; subset | /'sʌbset/ |
| ⋂ | intersection | /'ɪntəsekʃən/ |
| ⋃ | union | /'juːnɪən/ |
| ∀ | for all | /fə rɔ:l/ |
| cos x | cos x; cosine x | /kɒz/ |
| sin x | sine x | /saɪn/ |
| tan x | tangent x | /tan/ |
| cosec x | cosec x | /'kəʊsek/ |
| sinh x | shine x | /'ʃaɪn/ |
| cosh x | cosh x | /'kɒʃ/ |
| tanh x | than x | /θæn/ |
| \|x\| | mod x; modulus x | /mɒd/ /'mɒdjʊləs/ |
| ℃ | degrees Centigrade | /dɪ'gri:z 'sentɪgreɪd/ |
| ℉ | degrees Fahrenheit | /dɪ'gri:z 'færənhaɪt/ |
| °K | degrees Kelvin | /dɪ'gri:z 'kelvɪn/ |
| 0°K, –273.15 °C | absolute zero | /absəlu:t zi:rəʊ/ |
| mm | millimetre | /'mɪlɪmiːtə/ |
| cm | centimetre | /'sentɪmiːtə/ |
| cc, cm³ | cubic centimetre, centimetre cubed | /'kjuːbɪk 'sentɪmiːtə/ /'sentɪmiːtə 'kju:bd/ |
| m | metre | /'miːtə/ |
| km | kilometre | /kɪ'lɒmɪtə/ |
| mg | milligram | /'mɪlɪgræm/ |
| g | gram | /græm/ |
| kg | kilogram | /'kɪləgræm/ |
| AC | A.C. | /eɪ si:/ |
| DC | D.C. | /di: si:/ |
### Examples
| | |
| -------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| x + 1 | x plus one |
| x -1 | x minus one |
| x ± 1 | x plus or minus one |
| xy | x y; x times y; x multiplied by y |
| (x — y)(x + y) | x minus y, x plus y |
| x/y | x over y; x divided by y; |
| x ÷ y | x divided by y |
| x = 5 | x equals 5; x is equal to 5 |
| x ≈ y | x is approximately equal to y |
| x ≡ y | x is equivalent to y; x is identical with y |
| x ≠ y | x is not equal to y |
| x > y | x is greater than y |
| x < y | x is less than y |
| x ≥ y | x is greater than or equal to y |
| x ≤ y | x is less than or equal to y |
| 0 < x < 1 | zero is less than x is less than 1; x is greater than zero and less than 1 |
| 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 | zero is less than or equal to x is less than or equal to 1; x is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to 1 |
| x² | x squared |
| x³ | x cubed |
| x4 | x to the fourth; x to the power four |
| xn | x to the n; x to the nth; x to the power n |
| x-n | x to the minus n; x to the power of minus n |
| √ | root x; square root x; the square root of x |
| ∛ | the cube root of x |
| ∜ | the fourth root of x |
|  | the nth root of x |
| (x + y)² | x plus y all squared |
| (x/y)² | x over y all squared |
| n! | n factorial; factorial n |
| x% | x percent |
| ∞ | infinity |
| x ∝ y | x varies as y; x is (directly) proportional to y |
| x ∝ 1/y | x varies as one over y; x is indirectly proportional to y |
| ẋ | x dot |
| ẍ | x double dot |
| f(x) fx | f of x; the function of x |
| f'(x) | f dash x; the (first) derivative of with respect to x |
| f''x | f double-dash x; the second derivative of f with respect to x |
| f'''(x) | f triple-dash x; f treble-dash x; the third derivative of f with respect to x |
| f(4) | f four x; the fourth derivative of f with respect to x |
| ∂v | the partial derivative of v |
| ∂v <br>∂θ | delta v by delta theta, the partial derivative of v with respect to θ |
| ∂²v <br>∂θ² | delta two v by delta theta squared; the second partial derivative of v with respect to θ |
| dv | the derivative of v |
| dv <br>dθ | d v by d theta, the derivative of v with respect to theta |
| d²v <br>dθ² | d 2 v by d theta squared, the second derivative of v with respect to theta, |
| ∫ | integral |
|  | integral from zero to infinity |
| ∑ | sum |
|  | the sum from i equals 1 to n |
| w.r.t. | with respect to |
| logey | log to the base e of y; log y to the base e; natural log (of) y |
| ∴ | therefore |
| ∵ | because |
| → | gives, approaches |
| Δx → 0 | delta x approaches zero |
| lim <br>Δx→0 | the limit as delta x approaches zero, the limit as delta x tends to zero |
| Lt <br>Δx→0 | the limit as delta x approaches zero, the limit as delta x tends to zero |
| m/sec | metres per second |
| x ∈ A | x belongs to A; x is a member of A; x is an element of A |
| x∉ A | x does not belong to A; x is not a member of A; x is not an element of A |
| A⊂ B | A is contained in B; A is a proper subset of B |
| A ⊆ B | A is contained in B; A is a subset of B |
| A ⋂ B | A intersection B |
| A ⋃ B | A union B |
| cos x | cos x; cosine x |
| sin x | sine x |
| tan x | tangent x, tan x |
| cosec x | cosec x |
| sinh x | shine x |
| cosh x | cosh x |
| tanh x | than x |
| \|x\| | mod x; modulus x |
| 18 ℃ | eighteen degrees Centigrade |
| 70 ℉ | seventy degrees Fahrenheit |
### Greek alphabet
| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
|Α|α|alpha|/'ælfə/|
|Β|β|beta|/'bi:tə/|
|Γ|γ|gamma|/'gæmə/|
|Δ|δ|delta|/'deltə/|
|Ε|ε|epsilon|/'epsilən/|
|Ζ|ζ|zeta|/'ziːtə/|
|Η|η|eta|/'iːtə/|
|Θ|θ|theta|/'θiːtə/|
|Ι|ι|iota|/aɪ'əʊtə/|
|Κ|κ|kappa|/'kæpə/|
|Λ|λ|lamda|/'læmdə/|
|Μ|μ|mu|/'mjuː/|
|Ν|ν|nu|/'njuː/|
|Ξ|ξ|xi|/'ksaɪ/|
|Ο|ο|omicron|/'əʊmɪkrən/|
|Π|π|pi|/'paɪ/|
|Ρ|ρς|rho|/'rəʊ/|
|Σ|σ|sigma|/'sɪgmə/|
|Τ|τ|tau|/'tɑʊ/|
|Υ|υ|upsilon|/'jʊpsɪlən/|
|Φ|φ|phi|/'faɪ/|
|Χ|χ|chi|/'kaɪ/|
|Ψ|ψ|psi|/'psaɪ/|
|Ω|ω|omega|/'əʊmɪgə/|
### Roman alphabet
| | | |
| --- | --- | ---------- |
| A | a | /'eɪ/ |
| B | b | /'biː/ |
| C | c | /'siː/ |
| D | d | /'diː/ |
| E | e | /'iː/ |
| F | f | /'ef/ |
| G | g | /'ʤiː/ |
| H | h | /'eɪʧ/ |
| I | i | /'aɪ/ |
| J | j | /'ʤeɪ/ |
| K | k | /'keɪ/ |
| L | l | /'el/ |
| M | m | /'em/ |
| N | n | /'en/ |
| O | o | /'əʊ/ |
| P | p | /'piː/ |
| Q | q | /'kjuː/ |
| R | r | /'ɑː/ |
| S | s | /'es/ |
| T | t | /'ti:/ |
| U | u | /'ju:/ |
| V | v | /'vi:/ |
| W | w | /'dʌbljuː/ |
| X | x | /'eks/ |
| Y | y | /'waɪ/ |
| Z | z | /'zed/ |
### Fractions
| | | |
|---|---|---|
|½|a half|/ə 'hɑ:f/|
|¼|a quarter|/ə 'kwɔːtə/|
|¾|three quarters|/θriː 'kwɔːtəz/|
|⅓|a third|/ə 'θɜ:d/|
|⅔|two thirds|/tu: 'θɜ:dz/|
|⅕|a fifth|/ə 'fɪfθ/|
|⅖|two fifths|/tu: 'fɪfθs/|
|⅗|three fifths|/θriː 'fɪfθs/|
|⅘|four fifths|/fɔː 'fɪfθs/|
|⅙|a sixth|/ə 'sɪksθ/|
|⅚|five sixths|/faɪv 'sɪksθs/|
|⅛|an eighth|/ən 'eɪtθ/|
|⅜|three eighths|/θriː 'eɪtθs/|
|⅝|five eighths|/faɪv 'eɪtθs/|
|⅞|seven eighths|/sevən 'eɪtθs/|
### Decimal Fractions
| | | |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| 0.1 | nought point one | /nɔ:t pɔɪnt wʌn/ |
| 0.01 | nought point oh one | /nɔ:t pɔɪnt əʊ wʌn/ |
| 0.0001 | nought point oh oh oh one | /ten pɔɪnt əʊ əʊ əʊ wʌn/ |
| 1.1 | one point one | /wʌn pɔɪnt wʌn/ |
| 1.2 | one point two | /wʌn pɔɪnt tu:/ |
| 1.23 | one point two three | /wʌn pɔɪnt tu: θri:/ |
| 1.0123 | one point oh one two three | /wʌn pɔɪnt əʊ wʌn tu: θri:/ |
| 10.01 | ten point oh one | /ten pɔɪnt əʊ wʌn/ |
| 21.57 | twenty-one point five seven | /'twentɪ wʌn pɔɪnt faɪv 'sevən/ |
| 2.6666666666.... | two point six recurring | /tu: pɔɪnt sɪks rɪ'kɜ:rɪŋ/ |
| 2.612361236123... | two point six one two three recurring | /tu: pɔɪnt sɪks wʌn tu: θri: rɪ'kɜ:rɪŋ/ |
| 2.5 million | two point five million | /tu: pɔɪnt faɪv 'mɪljən/ |
### SI Units: Prefixes
| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
|10-24|yocto|y|/'jɒktəʊ/|
|10-21|zepto|z|/'zeptəʊ/|
|10-18|atto|a|/'atəʊ/|
|10-15|femto|f|/'femtəʊ/|
|10-12|pico|p|/'pi:kəʊ/|
|10-9|nano|n|/'nanəʊ/|
|10-6|micro|µ|/'maɪkrəʊ/|
|10-3|milli|m|/'mɪlɪ/|
|10-2|centi|c|/'sentɪ/|
|10-1|deci|d|/'desɪ/|
|103|kilo|k|/'kɪləʊ/|
|106|mega|M|/'megə/|
|109|giga|G|/'gɪgə/|
|1012|tera|T|/'terə/|
|1015|peta|P|/'petə/|
|1018|exa|E|/'eksə/|
|1021|zetta|Z|/'zetə/|
|1024|yotta|Y|/'jɒtə/|
|1027|xona|X|/'zəʊnə/|
|1030|weka|W|/'wekə/|
|1033|vunda|V|/'vʊndə/|
### Cardinal Numbers
| | | |
|---|---|---|
|1|one|/wʌn/|
|2|two|/tu:/|
|3|three|/θri:/|
|4|four|/fɔː/|
|5|five|/faɪv/|
|6|six|/sɪks/|
|7|seven|/'sevən/|
|8|eight|/eɪt/|
|9|nine|/naɪn/|
|10|ten|/ten/|
|11|eleven|/ɪ'levən/|
|12|twelve|/twelv/|
|13|thirteen|/θɜ:'ti:n/|
|14|fourteen|/fɔː'ti:n/|
|15|fifteen|/fɪf'ti:n/|
|16|sixteen|/sɪkst'i:n/|
|17|seventeen|/seven'ti:n/|
|18|eighteen|/eɪ'ti:n/|
|19|nineteen|/naɪn'ti:n/|
|20|twenty|/'twentɪ/|
|21|twenty-one|/twentɪ'wʌn/|
|22|twenty-two|/twentɪ'tu:/|
|23|twenty-three|/twentɪ'θri:/|
|24|twenty-four|/twentɪ'fɔː/|
|25|twenty-five|/twentɪ'faɪv/|
|26|twenty-six|/twentɪ'sɪks/|
|27|twenty-seven|/twentɪ'sevən/|
|28|twenty-eight|/twentɪ'eɪt/|
|29|twenty-nine|/twentɪ'naɪn/|
|30|thirty|/'θɜ:tɪ/|
|40|forty|/'fɔːtɪ/|
|50|fifty|/'fɪftɪ/|
|60|sixty|/'sɪkstɪ/|
|70|seventy|/'sevəntɪ/|
|80|eighty|/'eɪtɪ/|
|90|ninety|/'naɪntɪ/|
|100|a hundred; one hundred|/ə 'hʌndrəd/ /wʌn 'hʌndrəd/|
|101|a hundred and one|/ə 'hʌndrəd ən wʌn/|
|102|a hundred and two|/ə 'hʌndrəd ən tu:/|
|110|a hundred and ten|/ə 'hʌndrəd ən ten/|
|120|a hundred and twenty|/ə 'hʌndrəd ən 'twentɪ/|
|200|two hundred|/tu: 'hʌndrəd/|
|300|three hundred|/θri: 'hʌndrəd/|
|400|four hundred|/fɔː 'hʌndrəd/|
|500|five hundred|/faɪv 'hʌndrəd/|
|600|six hundred|/sɪks 'hʌndrəd/|
|700|seven hundred|/'sevən 'hʌndrəd/|
|800|eight hundred|/eɪt 'hʌndrəd/|
|900|nine hundred|/naɪn 'hʌndrəd/|
|1 000|a thousand, one thousand|/ə θ'ɑʊzənd/ /wʌn 'θɑʊzənd/|
|1 001|a thousand and one|/ə 'θɑʊzənd ən wʌn/|
|1 010|a thousand and ten|/ə 'θɑʊzənd ən ten/|
|1 020|a thousand and twenty|/ə 'θɑʊzənd ən 'twentɪ/|
|1 100|one thousand, one hunded|/wʌn 'θɑʊzənd wʌn 'hʌndrəd/|
|1 101|one thousand, one hundred and one|/wʌn 'θɑʊzənd wʌn 'hʌndrəd ən wʌn/|
|1 110|one thousand, one hundred and ten|/wʌn 'θɑʊzənd wʌn 'hʌndrəd ən ten/|
|9 999|nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine|/naɪn 'θɑʊzənd naɪn 'hʌndrəd ən 'naɪntɪ 'naɪn/|
|10 000|ten thousand|/ten 'θɑʊzənd/|
|15 356|fifteen thousand, three hundred and fifty six|/'fɪfti:n 'θɑʊzənd θri: 'hʌndrəd ən 'fɪftɪ sɪks/|
|100 000|a hundred thousand|/ə 'hʌndrəd 'θɑʊzənd/|
|1 000 000|a million|/ə 'mɪljən/|
|100 000 000|a hundred million|/ə 'hʌndrəd 'mɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000|a billion|/ə 'bɪljən/|
|100 000 000 000|a hundred billion|/ə 'hʌndrəd 'bɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000 000|a trillion|/ə 'trɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000 000 000|a quadrillion|/ə kwɒdrɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000 000 000 000|a quintillian|/ə kwɪn'tɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000|a sextillion|/ə seks'tɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000|a septillion|/ə sep'tɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000|an ocillion|/ən ɒkt'tɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000|a nonillion|/ə nɒn'ɪljən/|
|1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000|a decillion|/ə de'sɪljən/|
### Ordinal Numbers
| | | |
|---|---|---|
|1st|first|/fɜ:st/|
|2nd|second|/'sekənd/|
|3rd|third|/θɜ:d/|
|4th|fourth|/fɔ:θ/|
|5th|fifth|/fɪfθ/|
|6th|sixth|/sɪksθ/|
|7th|seventh|/'sevənθ/|
|8th|eighth|/eɪtθ/|
|9th|ninth|/naɪnθ/|
|10th|tenth|/tenθ/|
|11th|eleventh|/ɪ'levənθ/|
|12th|twelfth|/'twelfθ/|
|13th|thirteenth|/θɜ:'ti:nθ/|
|14th|fourtheenth|/fɔː'ti:nθ/|
|15th|fidteenth|/fɪf'ti:nθ/|
|16th|sixteenth|/sɪks'ti:nθ/|
|17th|seventeenth|/seven'ti:nθ/|
|18th|eighteenth|/eɪ'ti:nθ/|
|19th|nineteenth|/naɪn'ti:nθ/|
|20th|twentieth|/'twentɪəθ/|
|21st|twenty-first|/twentɪ'fɜ:st/|
|22nd|twenty-second|/twentɪ'sekənd/|
|23rd|twenty-third|/twentɪ'θɜ:d/|
|24th|twenty-fourth|/twentɪ'fɔ:θ/|
|25th|twenty-fifth|/twentɪ'fɪfθ/|
|26th|twenty-sixth|/twentɪ'sɪksθ/|
|27th|twenty-seventh|/twentɪ'sevənθ/|
|28th|twenty-eighth|/twentɪ'eɪtθ/|
|29th|twenty-ninth|/twentɪ'naɪnθ/|
|30th|thirtieth|/'θɜːtɪəθ/|
|31st|thirty-first|/θɜːtɪ'fɜ:st/|
|40th|fortieth|/'fɔ:tɪəθ/|
|50th|fiftieth|/'fɪftɪəθ/|
|100th|hundredth|/'hʌndrədθ/|
|1 000th|thousandth|/'θɑʊzəndθ/|
|1 000 000th|miilionth|/'mɪljənθ/|