Add Strikethrough to Text

The Add Strikethrough to Text tool instantly formats any text with a strikethrough effect using Unicode combining characters, making it compatible with virtually every platform that supports standard text — no special formatting codes required. Unlike bold or italic styles that rely on markdown syntax or HTML tags, this tool produces actual Unicode characters that render visually as struck-through text wherever plain text is accepted: social media posts, messaging apps, email subjects, profile bios, and more. The tool works by attaching the Unicode Combining Long Stroke Overlay character (U+0336) to each character in your input. This overlay creates the horizontal line that browsers and apps render as a strikethrough. Because the text remains composed of standard Unicode characters rather than HTML or platform-specific syntax, it copies and pastes cleanly into Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Discord, WhatsApp, Reddit, TikTok, and most other platforms without losing its visual formatting. Whether you want to show a crossed-out price to highlight a discount, indicate that a statement has been corrected, add a comedic aside with struck-through text, or simply create an eye-catching profile bio, this tool delivers the result instantly. No account registration, software installation, or technical knowledge is needed. Simply type or paste your text, and the formatted strikethrough version appears in real time — ready to copy and use anywhere plain text is accepted.

Input
Output

Related Tools

Add Underline to Text

Add underline characters to text using Unicode combining characters.

Text

Change Text Font

Change the font style of text using Unicode characters.

Text

Add Line Breaks by Character Count

Add line breaks every X characters. Example: Break every 50 characters

Text

Add Errors to Text

Add realistic typos and errors to text (swap, delete, duplicate letters, replace with similar characters).

Text

What It Does

The Add Strikethrough to Text tool instantly formats any text with a strikethrough effect using Unicode combining characters, making it compatible with virtually every platform that supports standard text — no special formatting codes required. Unlike bold or italic styles that rely on markdown syntax or HTML tags, this tool produces actual Unicode characters that render visually as struck-through text wherever plain text is accepted: social media posts, messaging apps, email subjects, profile bios, and more. The tool works by attaching the Unicode Combining Long Stroke Overlay character (U+0336) to each character in your input. This overlay creates the horizontal line that browsers and apps render as a strikethrough. Because the text remains composed of standard Unicode characters rather than HTML or platform-specific syntax, it copies and pastes cleanly into Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Discord, WhatsApp, Reddit, TikTok, and most other platforms without losing its visual formatting. Whether you want to show a crossed-out price to highlight a discount, indicate that a statement has been corrected, add a comedic aside with struck-through text, or simply create an eye-catching profile bio, this tool delivers the result instantly. No account registration, software installation, or technical knowledge is needed. Simply type or paste your text, and the formatted strikethrough version appears in real time — ready to copy and use anywhere plain text is accepted.

How It Works

Add Strikethrough to Text changes data from Strikethrough into Text. That is more than a cosmetic rewrite. Field layout, quoting, nesting, and even type representation can shift because the destination format has different rules and limits.

Conversion tools are constrained by the destination format. If the source can express nesting, comments, repeated keys, or mixed data types more richly than the target, the output may need to flatten or reinterpret part of the structure.

All processing happens in your browser, so your input stays on your device during the transformation.

Common Use Cases

  • Crossing out an original price next to a sale price in social media product captions to visually emphasize a discount.
  • Indicating a corrected or retracted statement in a tweet or forum post without deleting the original text, preserving transparency.
  • Adding humor or sarcasm to messages by visually striking through a phrase on platforms like Discord, Reddit, or Twitter.
  • Creating a distinctive profile bio or 'About Me' section on Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter using styled Unicode text.
  • Showing task completion in plain-text to-do lists shared via messaging apps or email, where rich formatting isn't available.
  • Drafting social media copy that highlights changes, revisions, or 'before and after' comparisons in a visually engaging way.
  • Generating creative text effects for memes, digital art mockups, or any project where portable, platform-agnostic Unicode text is needed.

How to Use

  1. Type or paste the text you want to format into the input field — the tool accepts any combination of letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces.
  2. The strikethrough effect is applied in real time as you type, so you can immediately see exactly how your formatted text will appear.
  3. Review the output in the result field to confirm the strikethrough looks correct across your full text.
  4. Click the 'Copy' button to copy the Unicode strikethrough text to your clipboard with a single click.
  5. Paste the formatted text directly into any social media post, message, bio, email, or document that accepts plain Unicode characters.
  6. If you only need part of your sentence struck through, enter just that portion into the tool, copy it, then manually combine it with your unformatted text.

Features

  • Real-time Unicode strikethrough conversion using the Combining Long Stroke Overlay (U+0336), the most widely supported method for cross-platform strikethrough text.
  • Full compatibility with every major social media and messaging platform including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Discord, WhatsApp, TikTok, Reddit, and LinkedIn.
  • No HTML tags or markdown syntax required — the strikethrough effect is embedded directly within the Unicode characters themselves, making it portable anywhere.
  • One-click copy to clipboard so you can instantly paste your formatted text into any app or platform without manual selection.
  • Handles all character types including uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals, punctuation marks, and spaces for complete, natural-looking sentence formatting.
  • Entirely browser-based with no login, account creation, or software installation required — works instantly on any device.
  • Zero processing delay — output appears as you type, making it ideal for quick formatting tasks during live content creation sessions.

Examples

Below is a representative input and output so you can see the transformation clearly.

Input
Remove this
Output
R̶e̶m̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶

Edge Cases

  • Very large inputs can still stress the browser, especially when the tool is working across many text. Split huge jobs into smaller batches if the page becomes sluggish.
  • Source values that look similar can map differently in the target format when data types are inferred, flattened, or serialized.
  • If the output looks wrong, compare the exact input and option values first, because Add Strikethrough to Text should be repeatable with the same settings.

Troubleshooting

  • Unexpected output often means the input is being split or interpreted at the wrong unit. For Add Strikethrough to Text, that unit is usually text.
  • If a previous run looked different, check for hidden whitespace, changed separators, or a setting that was toggled accidentally.
  • If nothing changes, confirm that the input actually contains the pattern or structure this tool operates on.
  • If the page feels slow, reduce the input size and test a smaller sample first.

Tips

Some older mobile apps and certain CMS editors may not render Unicode combining characters correctly, so always preview your post on the target platform before publishing if you are unsure of its Unicode support. For maximum visual impact, use strikethrough text sparingly — a single struck-through word or phrase draws far more attention than an entire paragraph formatted this way. When using strikethrough to indicate a price drop or correction, follow it immediately with the updated information so readers understand the context without confusion. If you want to combine strikethrough with other Unicode text styles such as bold or italic variants, test the combination across multiple devices since layered combining characters can occasionally display inconsistently on older operating systems.

When you apply strikethrough formatting in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, the effect is stored as invisible metadata — instructions that tell the application to render a horizontal line through the text. This works perfectly inside that application, but the moment you copy that text and paste it into a tweet, a Discord message, or an Instagram bio, all formatting is stripped away. You are left with plain, unstyled text because most social platforms only accept raw Unicode characters, not rich text formatting instructions. That is precisely the problem Unicode strikethrough text solves. **How Unicode Combining Characters Work** Unicode, the universal standard for digital text encoding, includes a special category called combining characters. These are invisible glyphs that attach themselves to the preceding character, modifying its visual appearance without replacing it. The Combining Long Stroke Overlay (U+0336) places a horizontal line through whatever character it follows — producing the visual appearance of strikethrough text in any environment that renders Unicode correctly. When this tool processes your input, it inserts U+0336 immediately after every character in your text. The result looks like s̶t̶r̶i̶k̶e̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ but is composed entirely of standard, portable Unicode characters that travel seamlessly across copy-paste operations and platform boundaries. **Cross-Platform Compatibility: Why It Matters** The defining advantage of the Unicode approach is portability. Because the strikethrough effect lives inside the characters themselves — not in surrounding HTML tags or markdown syntax — it renders correctly in an enormous range of digital environments. Twitter does not permit HTML tags, and its markdown support is extremely limited, but it renders Unicode combining characters without issue. The same is true for Instagram bios, Facebook posts, Reddit comments, Discord messages, WhatsApp chats, and Telegram. Compare this to the alternatives: HTML's `` tag produces strikethrough only inside properly rendered web documents. Markdown's `~~double tilde~~` syntax works only in markdown-enabled environments such as certain Reddit editors, GitHub, or Slack. Neither method survives a copy-paste into a standard social media text field. Unicode strikethrough does. **Real-World Applications Across Industries** Price demonstrations are among the most widespread uses. Retailers, marketers, and social media influencers routinely display a crossed-out original price alongside a discounted price in captions and posts. The visual contrast communicates value and urgency far more effectively than text alone. Corrections and retractions represent another important use case. Rather than deleting incorrect information — which can appear evasive — writers and journalists sometimes strike through the original text and add a correction inline. This approach is transparent, honest, and immediately readable. In internet culture, strikethrough has developed a strong comedic identity. The struck-through aside — where a writer crosses out what they supposedly did not mean to say — has become a recognizable humor device in blog writing, social media, and forums. Its comedic power relies entirely on the reader seeing both the struck-through text and the replacement, so Unicode portability is essential. Creative profile design is also a popular application. Users on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter use strikethrough text alongside other Unicode text styles to make their bios visually distinctive without relying on any platform-specific feature. **Strikethrough Method Comparison** Unicode combining characters are the clear winner for social media and messaging contexts, while HTML and markdown each serve their purpose in web development and documentation workflows respectively. For anyone creating content that will be copied, shared, or pasted across different digital environments, Unicode strikethrough is the only method that guarantees consistent results regardless of where the text ends up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Unicode strikethrough text and how does it work?

Unicode strikethrough text is created by inserting the Combining Long Stroke Overlay character (U+0336) after each character in a piece of text. This combining character attaches itself visually to the preceding character, drawing a horizontal line through it to create the strikethrough effect. Because the result is composed of standard Unicode characters rather than formatting codes, it displays correctly in any application or platform that supports Unicode text rendering — which includes virtually all modern operating systems, browsers, and social media platforms.

Why doesn't strikethrough formatting from Word or Google Docs paste into social media?

Word processors store text formatting as separate metadata or markup that tells the application how to display the text. When you copy rich text and paste it into a social media field, the platform strips all formatting metadata and accepts only the raw character content. This is by design — social platforms use plain text fields that do not interpret HTML or word processor formatting. Unicode combining characters bypass this limitation because the strikethrough effect is embedded within the characters themselves, not in separate formatting instructions.

Which social media platforms support Unicode strikethrough text?

Unicode strikethrough text works on virtually all major social media and messaging platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Discord, WhatsApp, TikTok, Reddit, Telegram, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. Compatibility is so broad because all these platforms accept standard Unicode characters. The only exceptions tend to be older or niche apps that use non-standard text rendering engines or strip certain Unicode ranges for security reasons.

Is Unicode strikethrough the same as HTML strikethrough?

No — these are two fundamentally different methods. HTML strikethrough uses the `<s>` or `<del>` tag to wrap text, and the strikethrough is rendered by the browser interpreting the HTML. This only works inside properly rendered HTML documents like web pages or HTML emails. Unicode strikethrough, by contrast, uses combining characters that are part of the text itself, making it work in any plain text context including social media, messaging apps, and text editors that do not interpret HTML.

Can I use strikethrough text in an Instagram bio?

Yes — Instagram bios accept Unicode text, which means Unicode strikethrough characters paste in and display correctly on both mobile and desktop. Many users use this technique to add visual flair to their profile, crossing out words for stylistic effect or humor. Simply generate your strikethrough text using this tool, copy it, and paste it directly into the Instagram bio field in your profile settings.

What is the difference between Unicode strikethrough and the Markdown tilde method?

Markdown strikethrough uses double tildes around text — for example, `~~this text~~` — which renders as strikethrough only in applications that process Markdown, such as GitHub, certain Reddit editors, Obsidian, and Slack. If you paste `~~this text~~` into Twitter or a standard text field, it appears with literal tilde characters rather than strikethrough formatting. Unicode strikethrough, on the other hand, renders visually everywhere because the effect is in the characters themselves rather than in surrounding syntax.

Does strikethrough text affect how social media algorithms read my posts?

This is an important consideration for creators. Because Unicode combining characters attach to the base characters, the underlying text is technically still readable by machines — but search engines and platform algorithms may not always index or weight combined Unicode characters the same as standard text. For content you want to be discoverable through keyword searches, avoid using strikethrough on critical terms. Use strikethrough as a visual flourish rather than the primary carrier of your core message.

Are there any situations where Unicode strikethrough might not display correctly?

While compatibility is very broad, a few edge cases exist. Some older mobile applications, certain email clients, and niche CMS platforms may not render Unicode combining characters correctly, showing displaced lines or duplicate characters instead. Very large blocks of fully struck-through text can also look cluttered on some font rendering engines. It is always a good practice to preview your content on the target platform before publishing, especially if you are using strikethrough text in a professional or public-facing context.