Can you use boxes to create a primed variable?

Question

I want to use a symbol to distinguish $\lambda$ in one coordinate set from another $\lambda$ in another set. Traditionally, we'd use a prime symbol ' to do this (e.g. $\lambda'$). I tried using this trick in Mathematica in order to keep this symbol from being interpreted as a derivative operation:

MakeBoxes[lambdaPrime, StandardForm] := SuperscriptBox["\[Lambda]", "'"];
MakeExpression[SuperscriptBox["\[Lambda]", "'"], StandardForm] := MakeExpression["lambdaPrime", StandardForm];

Functionally, this works great. I used it for all my fancy notations, but the typesetting looks strange. You get a tiny little ' mark way above the $\lambda$. Is there a way of accomplishing the same thing with a box that is neither a super or subscript? (Yes, I know we can use some freakish character that kind of looks like a ', but isn't). I'm thinking of something like this:

MakeBoxes[lambdaPrime, StandardForm] := Box["\[Lambda]", "'"];
MakeExpression[Box["\[Lambda]", "'"], StandardForm] := MakeExpression["lambdaPrime", StandardForm];

Answer 1

Actually, Mathematica was kind enough to tell me. If you do this:

In[] = ToBoxes[λ']
Out[] = SuperscriptBox["\[Lambda]", "\[Prime]", MultilineFunction -> None]

You can then make your boxes out of these characters:

MakeBoxes[lambdaPrime, StandardForm] := SuperscriptBox["\[Lambda]", "\[Prime]"];
MakeExpression[SuperscriptBox["\[Lambda]", "\[Prime]"], StandardForm] := MakeExpression["lambdaPrime", StandardForm];

They work great and look great!