What is Strikethrough Text?
Strikethrough text (also called crossed-out text) displays a horizontal line through characters, creating the visual effect of deletion while keeping the original text readable. In word processors like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, strikethrough formatting is a standard feature accessible via toolbar buttons or keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+5 on Windows, Cmd+Shift+X on Mac). However, most social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn—don't provide built-in strikethrough buttons because they use plain text input fields.
This tool solves that limitation using Unicode combining characters. Unicode is the international standard for text representation, assigning unique codes to every character across all languages. Within Unicode exists a special category called "combining diacritical marks"—invisible modifiers that overlay the previous character. Our tool adds a "combining long stroke overlay" (U+0336) after each letter, creating the strikethrough effect as plain text that works anywhere Unicode is supported. The text remains copyable, searchable, and compatible with screen readers (though accessibility varies by implementation).
Common Use Cases
Social Media Emphasis: Content creators use strikethrough to show corrections, humor, or sarcasm (e.g., "I h̶a̶t̶e̶ love Mondays"). It adds personality to bios, tweets, and captions where formatting options are limited.
Email Marketing: Marketers create urgency by crossing out old prices (e.g., "W̶a̶s̶ ̶$̶9̶9̶ Now $49!"). The visual contrast draws attention to discounts without requiring HTML formatting.
Messaging Apps: WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord users emphasize corrections or jokes in conversations. While some apps support Markdown strikethrough (~~text~~), Unicode strikethrough works universally.
Gaming Profiles: Players customize usernames and status messages in games like PUBG, Fortnite, and League of Legends using Unicode text effects to stand out from standard names.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to strikethrough text on Facebook/Twitter?
Social media platforms typically don't have built-in strikethrough formatting buttons. Use this tool to generate Unicode strikethrough text by typing your message, then copy the generated result and paste it into your post, tweet, or bio.
Can I use this in email subjects?
Yes! Because it uses standard Unicode combining characters, the crossed-out effect displays correctly in most email clients, including Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. This makes your email subject lines stand out in crowded inboxes.
How does Unicode strikethrough work?
This tool uses Unicode combining diacritical marks—special characters that overlay the previous character. For strikethrough, it adds a "combining long stroke overlay" (U+0336) after each letter, creating the visual effect of a line through the text.
Will strikethrough text work on all devices?
Strikethrough text works on most modern devices, browsers, and platforms that support Unicode. However, very old devices or systems with limited Unicode support might display the characters incorrectly or not at all.