Sim in LaTeX

The LaTeX command for sim (∼) is \sim (similar to).

\sim

Relations · Unicode ∼ (U+223C) · no package needed

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Which command should you use?

Command	Package	Use it when
`\sim` recommended	none	Is distributed as, or is similar to.
`\tilde{x}`	none	Tilde accent over one letter.
`\widetilde{xy}`	none	Wide tilde over several letters.
`\textasciitilde`	none	A tilde character in running text, e.g. in a URL.

Table 1. Ways to write sim in LaTeX. Every line was compiled with pdfLaTeX (TeX Live 2026) loading only the package shown.

Common mistake. A bare ~ is a non-breaking space in LaTeX, not a tilde: in math use \sim, in text \textasciitilde.

How to type Sim

Write \sim inside math mode, that is between $…$ for inline math or in a \[ … \] or equation block for display math. It is part of core LaTeX math, so no extra package is required.

Example

$X \sim \mathcal{N}(0, 1)$

X \sim \mathcal{N}(0, 1)

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Often confused with

Approx \approx (≈): approximately equal
Simeq \simeq (≃)
Cong \cong (≅): congruent / isomorphic

Related Relations symbols

\leq\geq\leqslant\geqslant\ll\gg\equiv\simeq\approx\cong\propto\perp\mid\nmid

Relation symbols in LaTeX: the full table or search all 350+ LaTeX symbols.

FAQ

How do you write sim (∼) in LaTeX?

Use \sim in math mode; it needs no extra package. For example, $X \sim \mathcal{N}(0, 1)$.

Which package provides \sim?

None: \sim is built into LaTeX, so no extra package is required.

What is the most common mistake with sim in LaTeX?

A bare ~ is a non-breaking space in LaTeX, not a tilde: in math use \sim, in text \textasciitilde.