How it works
- Type the words you want to cross out.
- Compare the strike and underline styles. Each one adds a different mark.
- Copy the one you want, paste it and check how it looks before you post.
How combining marks work
A combining mark is a Unicode character with no width of its own. It attaches to the character before it, so a stroke after every letter draws one line through the word.
Line breaks and emoji are skipped, and converting the same text twice does not add a second mark.
To pile extra marks on each letter, above the line and below it, use the glitch tool instead of a single strike. That stack is harder to read than one line.
The strike styles
- Strikethrough uses the combining long stroke overlay (U+0336) for a straight line.
- Slash through uses the combining short solidus overlay (U+0337), a short diagonal stroke on each character.
- Tilde through uses the combining tilde overlay (U+0334), a wavy line.
- Underline (U+0332) and double underline (U+0333) draw one or two lines below the text.
Why it looks different between apps
Each app and font decides where to draw the mark. The line can look broken between letters, sit too high or too low, or not show at all, so check it in the app before you post.
Each character also becomes two code points, the letter and its mark, so crossed-out text uses about twice the characters.
When native strikethrough is better
Some apps have their own strikethrough. WhatsApp uses single tildes around the text, Telegram has a formatting menu and MarkdownV2 tildes, and Reddit uses two tildes on each side.
The WhatsApp text formatter, the Telegram text formatter and the Reddit post formatter write that syntax for you. Native formatting keeps the letters normal, so screen readers and search treat them as ordinary words.
More text styles
Frequently asked questions
How do I cross out text to copy and paste?
Type above and copy the Strikethrough row. Each character gets a combining stroke, so the line shows wherever the font draws it.
Why is the line broken or missing?
The app or font decides how to draw combining marks, and some draw them badly or not at all. Try another strike style, or use the app's own strikethrough if it has one.
Should I use this in WhatsApp or Telegram?
Usually not. Both apps have their own strikethrough, which keeps the letters as normal text, and the WhatsApp text formatter and Telegram text formatter write it for you.
How do I remove strikethrough from text?
Paste it into the WhatsApp text formatter and press Clear styles, which removes these marks and other Unicode letter styles.
Why does crossed-out text use more characters?
Each character becomes two code points: the character and its mark. A 10-letter word therefore counts as about 20 characters, including on X. The character counter shows both figures: characters as you see them and the UTF-16 length.