²
² Squared Symbol
The squared symbol (²) is a superscript two, meaning “to the power of 2”.
Also known as: superscript two, to the power of 2, small 2, exponent 2.
Codes
| Symbol | ² | |
| Unicode | U+00B2 | |
| HTML entity (named) | ² | |
| HTML entity (decimal) | ² | |
| HTML entity (hex) | ² | |
| CSS | \00B2 | |
| LaTeX | ^2 | |
| Windows Alt code | Alt + 0178 |
How to type ² (Squared Symbol)
WindowsAlt + 0178
Hold Alt and type 0178 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.
Mac
No default keystroke. Open Character Viewer (Control + Cmd + Space), search “superscript two”, or apply superscript formatting and type 2.
Microsoft Word00B2, Alt + X
Type 00B2, then press Alt + X. Or press Ctrl + Shift + = for superscript and type 2.
Google Docs
Format → Text → Superscript (Ctrl + .), then type 2 — or Insert → Special characters and search “superscript two”.
LaTeX^2
In math mode, type x^2 (use x^{2} when the exponent has more than one character).
Usage
- x² means x to the power of 2, i.e. x squared.
- Area units use ²: 10 m² is ten square meters.
- In statistics, variance is written σ² (sigma squared).