🚫 Strikethrough Text Generator
By ToolNimba Text Team · Updated 2026-06-19
Type some text above to see every crossed-out style.
A strikethrough text generator turns ordinary words into crossed-out text you can paste anywhere, even in apps that have no built-in formatting. It does this by adding an invisible Unicode combining mark after each letter, so the line is baked into the characters themselves. Type or paste your text, and this tool instantly produces a thick strikethrough, a thin strikethrough, an underline and a diagonal slash version, each with its own copy button. Because the result is plain text and not a font, you can drop it into Instagram, Twitter or X, TikTok, Discord, WhatsApp, a Google Doc or a username field and the line stays put.
What is the Strikethrough Text Generator?
Unicode includes a set of "combining" characters that are designed to stack on top of, or strike through, the character that comes before them. A normal letter takes up one slot on screen, but a combining mark has zero width: it renders over its neighbour rather than beside it. The strikethrough generator works by walking through your text one character at a time and inserting a combining overlay immediately after each one. The browser then draws the letter and the line as a single combined glyph.
Four marks do the work here. U+0336 (combining long stroke overlay) draws a full-width horizontal line through the character, the classic thick strikethrough. U+0335 (combining short stroke overlay) draws a narrower line for a lighter look. U+0332 (combining low line) sits under the character to underline it. U+0337 (combining short solidus overlay) draws a diagonal slash, the look you see on a "no" or "cancelled" sign. Spaces and punctuation get the mark too, so the line runs unbroken across whole words and sentences.
The big advantage of this approach is portability. Real strikethrough formatting (like the S with a line button in a word processor) is stored as rich-text styling that is stripped away the moment you copy into a plain-text box, a tweet or a chat. Combining marks are part of the text string itself, so they survive copy and paste into almost any field. The trade-off is that combining marks are not always read aloud cleanly by screen readers, and a few older fonts position the line imperfectly, so use crossed-out text for visual effect rather than for content that must be accessible.
When to use it
- Showing a crossed-out original price next to a sale price in a bio, caption or marketplace listing.
- Marking a to-do item as done in a chat or note when the app has no real strikethrough button.
- Adding playful crossed-out text to Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or X posts and Discord messages.
- Styling a username, status or profile field that only accepts plain text but still renders Unicode.
- Indicating a retracted or edited comment without deleting the original wording.
How to use the Strikethrough Text Generator
- Type or paste the text you want to cross out into the box.
- Watch the four styles (thick strikethrough, thin strikethrough, underline and slash) fill in instantly.
- Pick the look you want and press its Copy button.
- Paste the crossed-out text into your chat, bio, caption, post or document.
Formula & method
Worked examples
You want to cross out the word "Sale" with a thick strikethrough.
- Take each letter in turn: S, a, l, e.
- After each letter, insert the combining long stroke overlay U+0336.
- The string becomes S + U+0336, a + U+0336, l + U+0336, e + U+0336.
- The browser draws each letter with a line through it, so the four glyphs read as one struck-out word.
Result: S̶a̶l̶e̶ (visually crossed out, still copyable as plain text)
You want to show an old price of 50 with a diagonal slash.
- Take each character: 5, 0.
- After each one, insert the combining short solidus overlay U+0337.
- The string becomes 5 + U+0337, 0 + U+0337.
- Each digit is drawn with a diagonal slash across it.
Result: 5̷0̷ (slashed price, ready to paste next to the new price)
The combining marks used for each style
| Style | Unicode mark | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thick strikethrough | U+0336 | Combining long stroke overlay | Full horizontal line through the character |
| Thin strikethrough | U+0335 | Combining short stroke overlay | Narrower horizontal line |
| Underline | U+0332 | Combining low line | Line under the character |
| Slash | U+0337 | Combining short solidus overlay | Diagonal line across the character |
Where crossed-out Unicode text usually works
| Place | Works? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram bio and captions | Yes | Renders on web and app |
| Twitter / X posts | Yes | Pastes as plain text |
| Discord messages | Partly | Discord also has native ~~strike~~ markdown |
| Partly | WhatsApp has its own tilde strikethrough too | |
| Google Docs / Word | Yes | Though these have a real strikethrough button |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Expecting it to work like a formatting button. This tool does not apply rich-text styling. It changes the actual characters by adding combining marks, which is exactly why the effect survives copy and paste into plain-text fields where a normal strikethrough button would not.
- Using crossed-out text for important or accessible content. Screen readers may read combining marks awkwardly or announce each character oddly, so crossed-out Unicode is best for short visual flourishes, not for body text that must be read aloud clearly.
- Assuming the line shows the same in every font. A few older or unusual fonts position the overlay slightly off-centre, so the line can sit high or low. Most modern system fonts on phones and browsers render it cleanly.
- Pasting into a field with a tight character limit. Each visible character now carries an extra invisible mark, so the string uses more code points than it looks. Some platforms count those toward a character limit even though you cannot see them.
Glossary
- Strikethrough
- A horizontal line drawn through text to show it is crossed out, removed or no longer current.
- Combining mark
- A zero-width Unicode character that renders over or through the character before it, rather than taking its own space.
- Unicode
- The universal text standard that assigns a unique code point to every character, including the overlay marks used here.
- Code point
- The numeric value Unicode assigns to a character, written as U+ followed by a hexadecimal number, such as U+0336.
- Plain text
- Text with no rich-text formatting attached, where any visible styling must come from the characters themselves.
Frequently asked questions
How does the strikethrough text generator work?
It adds an invisible Unicode combining mark after each character in your text. The thick strikethrough uses U+0336, the thin one uses U+0335, the underline uses U+0332 and the slash uses U+0337. These marks have zero width and render over the preceding character, so the line becomes part of the text string itself rather than separate formatting.
Will the crossed-out text stay when I copy and paste it?
Yes. Because the strikethrough is built from combining characters inside the text, it survives copying into most plain-text fields, including social bios, captions, chats and usernames. A normal formatting button would be stripped out in those places, but this stays.
Does it work on Instagram, Twitter, X, TikTok and Discord?
In most cases yes. Instagram, Twitter or X and TikTok render the combining marks as crossed-out text. Discord and WhatsApp also have their own native strikethrough (using tildes), so you can use either method there.
Is this a font or a special character set?
Neither. It is your normal letters with standard Unicode overlay marks added. There is no custom font to install, which is why the effect works across apps and devices that support Unicode.
Why does the line look slightly off in some apps?
A small number of older or decorative fonts position the combining overlay imperfectly, so the line can sit a little high or low. Most modern phone and browser system fonts draw it cleanly and centred through the character.
Is the text I type sent anywhere?
No. The whole tool runs in your browser using JavaScript. Your text is never uploaded, stored or sent over the network, so it stays private on your own device.