If you’re not familiar with the tools offered by Microsoft Word, writing the square root can be a bit tricky. Fortunately, there are symbols you can insert to create and format mathematical expressions. When it comes to inserting the square root symbol (√) in Word, there are a number of methods available.
We will walk you through the most common methods below.
1. Using the Equation Editor
- Access the Equation Editor by going to the Insert tab and selecting the Equation button. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut: Alt+=
- In the editor, type “\sqrt”, without quotation marks and press space.
- Done!
If you want to add cube roots and fourth roots, replace “sqrt” with “cbrt” and “qdrt” respectively.
2. Keyboard Shortcuts
There are two shortcuts for adding the square root:
- Type 221a or 221A (Capitalization doesn’t matter) then press alt+x (For cube root, write 221b. For quad root, write 221c.)
- Simply press Alt+251 using the numbers on the numpad. (For cube root, Alt+8731. For fourth root, write 8732.)
3. The Symbol Menu
- In the Menu bar, click Insert
- In the Insert ribbon, Click the “symbol” button. This will drop down choices of symbols.
- Choose the square root symbol.
- Done!
If you want to add cube roots and fourth roots, you can find them in the “more symbols” button.
Conclusion
Writing square roots is now easier once you know the different methods for inserting or typing them in Word. Whether you prefer using keyboard shortcuts, the Equation Editor, or the Symbol Menu, there are plenty of options to help you get the job done quickly and easily. So next time you need to insert a square root symbol in your document, try one of these methods and see which one you prefer.
