What Is Strikethrough Text
Strikethrough text is any text with a horizontal line drawn through its middle, indicating that the content has been crossed out, deleted, revised or negated. In print and handwriting, editors have used this mark for centuries to show corrections without erasing the original, giving readers full visibility of what changed and why.
In digital writing, strikethrough exists in two fundamentally different forms, and understanding the difference is the reason this generator exists.
Unicode Strikethrough vs HTML Strikethrough: The Critical Difference
Most people encounter strikethrough through HTML tags like <s> or <del>, or through word processor buttons. Both of these are formatting instructions. They tell the software rendering the page or document to draw a line through the text. The instruction works within that environment, but when you copy the text to a platform like Instagram, Twitter or WhatsApp, it arrives as plain text. The platform strips the formatting and the strikethrough disappears.
Unicode strikethrough works differently. This generator adds a Unicode combining character (U+0336, the Combining Long Stroke Overlay) directly to each letter in your text. The combining mark is not formatting. It is part of the text itself, attached to each character at the encoding level. When you copy it and paste it anywhere, the strikethrough mark travels with the text because it is the text.
| Method | How It Works | Survives Copy-Paste to Social Media? |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode combining character (this tool) | U+0336 attached to every character in the text | Yes. Works on all platforms |
| HTML tag <s> or <del> | Browser renders a line through styled text | No. Stripped by all social platforms |
| Word processor button | Document-level formatting instruction | No. Lost when pasting outside the document |
| CSS text-decoration: line-through | Style applied by the browser to styled elements | No. Web pages only, not copy-paste text |
The Different Unicode Strikethrough Combining Characters
Unicode includes several combining characters that produce different visual strikethrough effects. This generator uses the most widely supported one by default, but the preview grid on this page shows several variations:
| Effect | Unicode | Example | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizontal strikethrough | U+0336 | T̶e̶x̶t̶ | Corrections, crossed-out items, sarcasm |
| Diagonal slash | U+0337 | T̷e̷x̷t̷ | Stylistic slash effect, creative posts |
| Double underline | U+0333 | T͟e͟x͟t͟ | Strong underline emphasis |
A Brief History of Strikethrough
Strikethrough as an editing mark long predates computers. Manuscript editors and typewriter users drew horizontal lines through text they wanted to remove while keeping it visible, a practice rooted in the principle of editorial transparency. The deletion was marked, not erased, so that all parties to a document could see what had been changed.
With the arrival of typewriters in the late 19th century, strikethrough became a standard proofreading mark. You could not erase typewriter ink cleanly, so a line through the text became the conventional way to indicate a deletion or correction.
In the digital era, HTML introduced the <s> and <del> tags, which automated the visual effect. When social media platforms grew in the 2000s and early 2010s, people wanted to use strikethrough in posts and messages where HTML tags did not work. Unicode combining marks, originally designed for linguistic annotation, provided the solution. Today the Unicode horizontal stroke combining character (U+0336) is the standard method for creating strikethrough text that works universally.
When and Why to Use Strikethrough Text
Strikethrough communicates something that very few other typographic tools can: visible correction combined with transparency. The original content stays readable. The revision is obvious. The use cases online fall into four broad categories:
- Corrections and revisions: Crossing out a mistake while leaving it visible shows honesty and transparency. Common in newsletters, blog posts and social media when acknowledging an error without hiding it.
- Humour and sarcasm: This is by far the most popular social media use. Writing your real thought in strikethrough next to a polished version creates a deadpan comedic effect. Example: “I am totally fine absolutely losing my mind” is a format seen millions of times across Twitter, Reddit and Tumblr.
- Completed items and to-do lists: Crossing out completed tasks in a WhatsApp message or Discord post communicates progress visually without deleting the original list.
- Price comparisons and before-and-after: Striking through an old price next to a new one is a standard retail technique because it communicates value at a glance without needing explanation.
Platforms With Native Strikethrough vs Platforms That Need This Generator
Not every platform requires this generator for strikethrough. Some have built-in support through markdown syntax. Knowing which method to use on each platform will save you time:
| Platform | Native Method | Works In | Unicode Generator Needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discord | ~~text~~ | Messages only | Only for usernames and bios |
| ~~text~~ or <s>text</s> | Posts and comments | Only for usernames | |
| Slack | ~text~ | Messages only | Only for profile fields |
| None | Not supported natively | Yes, for all fields | |
| Twitter / X | None | Not supported natively | Yes, for all fields |
| None | Not supported natively | Yes, for all fields | |
| ~text~ | Messages only | Only for profile name and status |
Strikethrough Text on Each Platform
Instagram has no native strikethrough support in any text field, including bios, captions and comments. Unicode strikethrough copies directly into Instagram and renders the struck-through appearance correctly for all viewers on all devices.
Twitter / X
Twitter does not support any markdown formatting in tweets, bios or display names. Unicode strikethrough is the only way to display crossed-out text on Twitter. It is especially popular for the sarcasm format described above, where the struck-through text reveals the “real” thought behind a polished statement.
Facebook stripped its Notes feature (which once supported some formatting) years ago. Standard posts, comments and profile fields accept only plain text. Unicode strikethrough pastes and displays correctly in all Facebook text inputs.
Discord
In Discord messages, the native ~~text~~ markdown wrapper applies strikethrough and is the preferred method for messages. However, Discord’s markdown does not apply to usernames, server names or About Me bios. For those fields, Unicode strikethrough from this generator is the correct method.
WhatsApp supports its own strikethrough markdown in messages using single tildes ~like this~. This works only inside messages, not in your profile name or status. For those fields, use Unicode strikethrough from this generator.
Strikethrough Text and Readability
Unicode combining marks stack on top of characters and can make text slightly harder to read at small sizes or with certain fonts. A few practical notes: use strikethrough for emphasis and effect rather than for entire paragraphs of content. The sarcasm and humour use cases work best when the struck-through portion is short, typically one to eight words, so the visual contrast lands quickly. For longer corrections in social media posts, consider using strikethrough on the key changed phrase only, keeping the surrounding text in standard characters for readability.
Strikethrough vs Slash vs Underline: Choosing the Right Effect
The switcher bar on this page gives you access to the Slash Text Generator and Underline Text Generator as well. Each combining mark creates a distinctly different effect:
- Strikethrough (U+0336): The standard horizontal line. Communicates deletion, correction and negation. The most universally understood crossed-out text style.
- Slash through (U+0337): A diagonal line through each character. More stylistic than editorial in feel. Popular in aesthetic posts and creative social media where the visual texture matters more than the editorial meaning.
- Underline (U+0332): A combining underline that travels with the text across platforms. Useful when you want underline emphasis in fields where HTML underline tags do not work, such as Instagram captions and Twitter bios.