Strikethrough Text Generator — Crossed Out Text Online

Strikethrough text online is produced through a Unicode technique that is fundamentally different from the other styles in this tool. Rather than substituting each character with a visually distinct code point from the Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols block, strikethrough text works by appending a combining diacritic to each character. Specifically, the Unicode COMBINING LONG STROKE OVERLAY (U+0336) is inserted after every character in your input string. The rendering engine sees a base character followed by the combining character and draws the horizontal stroke through the middle of the base character, regardless of what that character is. This combining character approach has a powerful advantage: it works on every character in the Unicode standard, not just the Latin alphabet. You can apply strikethrough to digits, emoji, Chinese characters, Arabic letters, and any other character — the combining U+0336 overlays them all. This makes the strikethrough generator uniquely versatile compared to the alphabet-substitution styles used for bold, italic, or script text. Strikethrough text is deeply embedded in internet humor and social commentary. The classic pattern — writing a thought and then crossing it out, typically with a contradictory replacement — is a comedic device that implies the writer is revealing their true feeling while pretending to self-censor. Twitter threads, Reddit posts, and Tumblr text posts have used this format millions of times: saying one thing while the crossed-out portion reveals the opposite meaning. The crossed-out text carries ironic weight precisely because it is still visible despite being struck through. On Discord, strikethrough markdown (using double tildes) works inside messages but fails in display names, custom statuses, and bio descriptions. Unicode combining strikethrough fills the gap wherever Discord markdown cannot reach. Users add strikethrough to their custom status to show humorous self-corrections or to communicate ironic detachment from their current activity. Reddit supports markdown strikethrough in post bodies and comments, but the Unicode combining version offers a useful alternative in contexts where markdown renders inconsistently, such as old Reddit, certain third-party clients, and subreddit sidebar text. In workplace contexts, the strikethrough style appears in LinkedIn posts and Slack messages where writers cross out an original plan to highlight a course correction or show that circumstances have changed. Marketing teams use crossed-out prices in plain-text environments to simulate the classic sale pricing format. Educators paste strikethrough text into plain-text quiz platforms to create editing exercises that test whether students can identify intended deletions. The visual effect is immediately understood across cultures because physical editing, whether in pen on paper or red marks on a printed document, has always used a horizontal stroke to indicate deletion. Using the strikethrough generator is simple. Type or paste your text into the input field above. The preview panel shows how your text looks with the combining stroke applied. Click Copy to grab the result and paste it into Twitter, Discord, Reddit, WhatsApp, or any app that renders Unicode combining characters, which includes every major platform and operating system released in the past decade.

11 / 500 characters

Strikethrough

H̶e̶l̶l̶o̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶l̶d̶

Underline

H̲e̲l̲l̲o̲ ̲W̲o̲r̲l̲d̲

Frequently Asked Questions

How does strikethrough text work technically in Unicode?

Strikethrough uses the Unicode COMBINING LONG STROKE OVERLAY character (U+0336), which is inserted after each character in the input. Combining characters do not occupy their own space — they modify the visual appearance of the preceding character by overlaying a horizontal stroke through its middle.

Why does strikethrough look slightly different across platforms?

The exact position and thickness of the combining stroke overlay varies by font and rendering engine. Some platforms draw the stroke through the exact center of the character height; others position it slightly higher or lower based on their font metrics. The text is still readable on all platforms.

Can I use strikethrough in a Discord display name?

Yes. Discord's markdown strikethrough (double tildes) only works in message content, not in display names or custom statuses. Unicode combining strikethrough works in all Discord text fields including display names, custom statuses, and server nicknames.

Does Unicode strikethrough work on emojis and non-Latin characters?

Yes. Because strikethrough uses a combining diacritic rather than substituting characters, it can overlay any Unicode base character including emoji, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cyrillic, and all other scripts. The combining stroke is rendered on top of whatever character precedes it.

What is the difference between Unicode strikethrough and Markdown strikethrough?

Markdown strikethrough is a formatting instruction processed only by platforms that support that specific markdown dialect. Unicode strikethrough uses actual Unicode combining characters that are rendered by the device's text engine, making them platform-independent and visible in any Unicode-capable field.

How is strikethrough used for humor on Twitter and Reddit?

The classic humor format places a 'polite' or socially acceptable statement followed immediately by a crossed-out version that reveals the speaker's true feeling. The reader sees both versions simultaneously — the acceptable surface text and the honest subtext crossed out but still clearly visible.

Does strikethrough text work in WhatsApp messages?

Yes. WhatsApp renders Unicode combining characters including U+0336 in all message types and in status text. The strikethrough appears on both iOS and Android versions of WhatsApp. Note that WhatsApp also has its own markdown strikethrough using tildes, but the Unicode version works universally.

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