Epsilon (ε) in LaTeX
\epsilon typesets the lowercase Greek letter epsilon; LaTeX also provides a second, more curved form, \varepsilon, and the two are genuinely different glyphs, not just a font choice, so most style guides recommend picking one and using it consistently.
LaTeX command
\epsilonNot the symbol you meant? Draw it to find the command →
\epsilon produces a straighter, more angular lunate form, while \varepsilon produces the rounder, more cursive form that most people picture when they think epsilon, the one used in the standard epsilon-delta definition of a limit. Many maths style guides and journals prefer \varepsilon as the default and treat \epsilon as the variant, the opposite of the naming.
Epsilon's best-known role is bounding an arbitrarily small positive quantity, most famously in real analysis's epsilon-delta limit definition, and in numerical work as a small tolerance for close-enough comparisons or as machine epsilon, the smallest representable gap in floating-point arithmetic. It also denotes the Levi-Civita symbol in vector calculus and physics.
Because \epsilon and \varepsilon look noticeably different, mixing them within one document looks inconsistent, decide once, many authors pick \varepsilon for its readability at small sizes, and stick with it throughout, especially in a document with many limit definitions or error bounds.
Other forms
\epsilonlowercase epsilon\varepsiloncurly / variant formExamples
$\epsilon$lowercase epsilon inline
$\varepsilon$the curly variant form
$\forall \varepsilon > 0\, \exists \delta > 0$epsilon in a limit definition
$|x - a| < \delta \implies |f(x) - L| < \varepsilon$the full epsilon-delta condition
$\epsilon_{ijk}$the Levi-Civita symbol
Tips and common mistakes
\epsilonand\varepsilonare different glyphs, not a font-size difference, pick one convention and use it consistently through a document.- Most real-analysis texts use
\varepsilonfor the small tolerance in limit and continuity definitions, since it is the rounder, more legible shape at small sizes. - Machine epsilon in numerical computing is a specific, named floating-point constant, usually still typeset as
\varepsilonor\epsilondepending on the source's house style. - The Levi-Civita symbol is
\epsilon_{ijk}with three subscripts, equal to +1, -1 or 0 depending on the permutation of indices, common in cross products and determinants. - Neither
\epsilonnor\varepsilonneeds an extra package, both are core LaTeX.
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What is the LaTeX command for epsilon?
\epsilon for the straighter lunate form, \varepsilon for the rounder, more common-looking curly form.
What is the difference between \epsilon and \varepsilon?
They are two distinct glyphs for the same letter, \epsilon is more angular and \varepsilon is more rounded and cursive; most style guides prefer \varepsilon as the default despite its name suggesting it is the variant.
Which epsilon should I use in a limit definition?
Either works, but \varepsilon is the more common convention in analysis textbooks and papers, pick one form and use it throughout your document.
Is there an uppercase epsilon?
Uppercase epsilon looks identical to the Latin letter E, so LaTeX has no separate \Epsilon command, just type E.