Strikethrough Text Generator — Cross Out Your Words
Our strikethrough text generator adds combining Unicode characters to your text, creating the appearance of a line drawn through each letter. This works differently from HTML strikethrough tags — instead of relying on browser rendering, each character has a combining diacritical mark appended to it, meaning the strikethrough effect travels with your text wherever you paste it. It works on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Discord, Reddit, and any platform that supports Unicode.
What Is Strikethrough Text?
Strikethrough text is text with a horizontal line drawn through the middle of each character. In traditional publishing, it indicated deleted content that should remain visible for reference. In the digital age, strikethrough has evolved into a versatile stylistic tool used for humor, corrections, sarcasm, and creative expression. The Unicode combining long stroke overlay (U+0336) is appended after each character to produce this effect without any special formatting support from the platform.
Popular Uses for Strikethrough Text
- Showing corrections: Cross out the wrong word while keeping it visible, then write the correct version — a common editorial and humorous technique
- Humor and sarcasm: Strike through your real thoughts and replace them with a polite alternative for comedic effect
- Price reductions: Show original prices crossed out next to sale prices in social media posts and product listings
- To-do lists: Cross off completed items in text-based task lists shared in messages or posts
- Dramatic edits: Create the appearance of second-guessing yourself or changing your mind mid-sentence
- Redaction style: Simulate redacted or censored text for creative storytelling
Underline Text Uses
The underline effect works similarly by appending a combining low line (U+0332) after each character. Underlined text is useful for emphasizing key words, mimicking hyperlinks in plain text contexts, highlighting titles of works, or simply drawing attention to important information. The double underline variant (U+0333) provides even stronger emphasis and is sometimes used to indicate book titles or proper nouns in academic contexts.
Tips for Using Strikethrough Effectively
Strikethrough is most impactful when used sparingly. A single crossed-out word followed by a correction creates a funny or relatable moment. Overusing it makes text difficult to read. For best results, keep strikethrough phrases short — one to five words works perfectly. Combine with regular text for contrast. Note that some platforms may strip combining characters in certain contexts (like search), so use strikethrough for visual flair rather than critical information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does strikethrough text work on all platforms?
Yes, because it uses Unicode combining characters, strikethrough text displays correctly on all modern devices and platforms including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. Any app that renders Unicode text will show the strikethrough effect.
Why does my strikethrough text look slightly different on different devices?
The rendering of combining characters depends on the device font. Some fonts draw the line slightly thicker or thinner, but the strikethrough effect is always visible and recognizable across all modern platforms.
Can I use strikethrough in my Instagram username?
Instagram does not allow combining Unicode characters in usernames. However, you can freely use strikethrough text in your bio, captions, comments, and direct messages.
Does strikethrough text affect character count?
Each combining character (the invisible stroke mark) counts as an additional character. So strikethrough text uses roughly twice the characters of normal text. Keep this in mind for platforms with strict character limits like Twitter (280 characters) or Instagram bios (150 characters).