The Definitive Guide to Beautiful Math Equations in WordPress

Hey there! Are you a mathematician, scientist, engineer, or teacher struggling to include equations and formulas in your WordPress posts?

Navi.

I feel your pain. Despite powering over 43% of the web, WordPress has no native support for rendering mathematical notation. That‘s a big problem if you‘re trying to share technical content online.

But fear not! With the right setup, you can include even the most complex mathematical expressions in your WordPress posts and pages. In this guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know.

Why is Math on the Web So Hard?

First, let‘s talk about why writing math on the web is so dang difficult.

The web was originally designed for simple text content using a limited set of characters. Math notation, on the other hand, uses tons of special symbols and requires precise formatting. Things like subscripts, superscripts, fractions, integrals, and matrices are all essentials in mathematical writing.

While HTML does provide entity codes for some math symbols like ∑ (∑) and ∫ (∫), these only cover the basics. For proper math typesetting with more complex expressions, you need a system that can handle the full range of notation and formatting.

Over the years, three main technologies have emerged to fill this gap:

LaTeX – A markup language and typesetting system widely used in academia
MathML – An XML language for describing mathematical notation
MathJax – A JavaScript library for displaying LaTeX and MathML on the web

Among these, LaTeX has become the standard, especially for STM (scientific, technical, and medical) content. It lets you express virtually any mathematical expression unambiguously in plain text.

So why doesn‘t WordPress support LaTeX out of the box? It‘s mainly due to the extra processing and rendering required. To display LaTeX, it needs to be converted into web-friendly formats like images or MathML. WordPress leaves this up to plugins to handle.

Don‘t worry though – there are some great plugins that make working with LaTeX in WordPress a breeze. I‘ll show you how to set those up in a bit.

First though, let‘s look at a simpler option that works for basic math.

The Quick and Easy Option: Unicode Math Symbols

If your equations only require common mathematical symbols and basic formatting, you might be able to get away with just using Unicode characters in your WordPress content.

Unicode is the international standard for text encoding that covers just about every character and symbol from every language. WordPress has full Unicode support so it can display emojis, accented letters, and yes, math symbols.

Here are some examples of mathematical symbols you can insert directly in your posts:

Symbol	Name	Unicode	HTML Entity
∑	N-ary Summation	U+2211	`∑`
∫	Integral	U+222B	`∫`
π	Greek Small Letter Pi	U+03C0	`π`
≠	Not Equal To	U+2260	`≠`
±	Plus-Minus Sign	U+00B1	`±`
√	Square Root	U+221A	`√`

For the full list, see this Unicode math symbols reference.

To insert these symbols in the WordPress block editor, open the Special Characters tool from the formatting menu or use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + Cmd + Space on Mac, Windows + . or Windows + ; on Windows). You can copy and paste symbols from there into your post.

The classic editor also has an "Omega" button in the toolbar for inserting special characters.

Using Unicode symbols is quick and easy for simple expressions like:

F = G ⋅ (m₁⋅m₂) / r²

But Unicode alone isn‘t enough for more complex math with special alignment and formatting. It doesn‘t support things like built-up fractions, matrices, or multi-level sub/superscripts.

That‘s where LaTeX comes in.

The Professional Option: LaTeX Math in WordPress

LaTeX is a powerful typesetting language that lets you write complex mathematical expressions in plain text. It‘s the gold standard for academic and scientific publishing.

With LaTeX, you write expressions using commands and symbols in a markup language, similar to HTML. Here‘s an example showing an integral equation in LaTeX:

\int_0^{\infty} \frac{x^{a-1} e^{-x}}{(1+x)^b} \, dx = B(b-a,a)

When processed, this LaTeX code renders as:

The main benefits of LaTeX are:

It can handle just about any mathematical expression or notation
It produces high-quality, professional-level typesetting
The plain text input is human-readable and easy to copy/paste

So how do you actually use LaTeX in WordPress? With a plugin!

Setting Up WordPress for LaTeX Equations

To enable LaTeX equation support, you‘ll need to install a WordPress plugin. Some of the best options are:

MathJax-LaTeX – Uses the MathJax library to render LaTeX shortcodes
WP QuickLaTeX – Converts LaTeX to images using the QuickLaTeX web service
KaTeX – A faster alternative to MathJax using the KaTeX library

All of these are free and highly rated by the WordPress community. For this guide, we‘ll use the MathJax-LaTeX plugin as an example.

To get started:

Install and activate the MathJax-LaTeX plugin.
Open the post editor and add a new block.
For inline equations, use the [latex]...[/latex] shortcode.
For display equations, use [latexblock]...[/latexblock].
Replace ... with your equation in LaTeX syntax.

For example:

Euler‘s identity states that [latex]e^{\pi i} + 1 = 0[/latex].

The Pythagorean theorem is:
[latexblock]
a^2 + b^2 = c^2  
[/latexblock]

When you preview or publish the post, the LaTeX should render as:

Euler‘s identity states that $e^{\pi i} + 1 = 0$.

The Pythagorean theorem is:
$$
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
$$

That‘s it! You can now include LaTeX equations anywhere in your posts and pages using simple shortcodes.

Of course, you‘ll need to know some LaTeX syntax to actually write the equations. But don‘t worry, you don‘t need to be a LaTeX expert. There are plenty of online resources to help you out.

LaTeX Math Cheat Sheet

Here‘s a quick cheat sheet showing some of the most common commands for math expressions in LaTeX:

Type	Command	Example
Inline	$ ... $	$E=mc^2$
Display	`$$ ... $$`	`$$\sum_{i=0}^n i^2 = \frac{(n^2+n)(2n+1)}{6}$$`
Subscript	`_{...}`	$x_{i}$
Superscript	`^{...}`	$2^8 = 256$
Fraction	`\frac{...}{...}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
Square Root	`\sqrt{...}`	$\sqrt{144} = 12$
Integral	`\int_{a}^{b}`	`$$\int_{0}^{2\pi} sin(x) \, dx = 0$$`
Sum	`\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}`	`$$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{n^2} = \frac{\pi^2}{6}$$`
Matrix	`\begin{matrix}...\end{matrix}`	`$$\begin{matrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{matrix}$$`
Greek Letters	`\alpha`,`\beta`, `\pi`, etc.	`$$\lambda = \frac{1}{\sigma} \sqrt{\frac{2\pi}{n}}$$`

Here are some of the Greek letters you can use in LaTeX:

This covers a lot of common math use cases, but it‘s really just scratching the surface of LaTeX. To dive deeper, check out these resources:

Tips for Writing LaTeX Math in WordPress

Here are some tips to streamline your LaTeX writing process:

Use a LaTeX-friendly text editor with syntax highlighting like TeXstudio or Overleaf to compose your equations before pasting them into WordPress
Keep your LaTeX shortcodes short for readability, and give commonly used expressions their own names. For example: [latex epsilon=0.01]
Be consistent with your LaTeX code formatting (e.g. always put a space after commas) to avoid errors
If a post has a lot of equations, consider writing them in a separate TeX file and saving it alongside the post for future editing
Take advantage of premade LaTeX templates and equations
Check your expressions with a LaTeX preview tool before adding them to WordPress
Provide MathML fallbacks for your LaTeX where appropriate for better accessibility

Speaking of MathML…

The Semantic Option: MathML in WordPress

MathML is an XML language for describing mathematical notation in a way that captures both its structure and meaning. It‘s part of the official HTML5 specification (although not all browsers support it yet).

Unlike LaTeX, which is focused solely on presentation, MathML has built-in semantics that can convey the actual meaning of expressions to screen readers and other assistive technologies.

A simple equation in MathML looks like this:

<math>
  <msup>
    <mi>x</mi>
    <mn>2</mn>
  </msup>
  <mo>+</mo>
  <msup>
    <mi>y</mi>
    <mn>2</mn>
  </msup>
  <mo>=</mo>
  <msup>
    <mi>z</mi>
    <mn>2</mn>
  </msup>
</math>

To use MathML in WordPress, you can install the free MathML Block plugin. This adds a new "MathML" block type to the editor where you can paste in your markup.

Because it requires a bit more specialized knowledge, MathML isn‘t as widely used as LaTeX in most fields. But it‘s a great option for making your equations more accessible and semantically meaningful.

To learn more about how MathML works, check out:

Which Option is Right for You?

So which approach should you use for adding equations to your WordPress site? It depends on your needs:

If you just need a few simple expressions and symbols, go with Unicode
If you want the flexibility to handle any mathematical expression with robust formatting, use a LaTeX plugin
If you need semantically meaningful equations for accessibility, try MathML

Here‘s a quick comparison table:

Approach	Pros	Cons
Unicode	Easy to insert, no plugins required	Limited to basic math symbols
LaTeX	De facto standard, robust notation	Steeper learning curve, requires plugin
MathML	Accessible, semantic	More verbose, not widely used

In most cases, I recommend starting with LaTeX if you‘re planning to write a lot of equations. It strikes a good balance between flexibility and ease of use.

And really, don‘t be intimidated by LaTeX! It might seem daunting at first, but you can get the hang of the basics pretty quickly. Start with simple expressions, and work your way up to more complex notation as needed.

The Future of Math on the Web

I hope this guide has shown you that beautiful math typesetting is totally possible in WordPress. You can have your LaTeX and eat it too! 🎂📐

But looking ahead, there may be even better solutions on the horizon. One promising option is MathJSON, a new JSON-based specification that aims to unify LaTeX and MathML.

"Imagine a future where you can type formulas in LaTeX and it will be automatically converted to other formats like MathML. Imagine a future where you don‘t have to choose between author-ability and accessibility."
Peter Krautzberger, MathJSON creator

While not yet mainstream, MathJSON offers an exciting glimpse of a more interoperable future for web math.

But for now, LaTeX is still king. So go forth and "LaTeX up" your WordPress posts!

As mathematician Paul Halmos once said: