What is the chemical symbol for silver?

The chemical symbol for silver is Ag.

The symbol comes from argentum, the Latin name for silver. Although the English word “silver” does not resemble Ag, chemical symbols often preserve older Latin, Greek, or German names rather than modern English names.

Silver is element 47 on the periodic table and is classified as a transition metal. It is prized as a precious metal, but it is also exceptionally useful technologically: among metals, it has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity and very high reflectivity.

Silver is commonly confused with gold, whose symbol is Au, and copper, whose symbol is Cu. Platinum is Pt. Silver also frequently enters commerce as an alloy, so a piece described as sterling silver is not pure silver; sterling traditionally contains 92.5% silver, with the remainder usually another metal such as copper.