// definition
What is strikethrough text?
Strikethrough text is text with a line through the center of each character, used to show something was removed, corrected, or is outdated — while leaving it readable. A crossed-out price next to a discount, a finished to-do item, or an edited line in a draft are all everyday examples of it in use.
A strikethrough text generator like this one builds the effect from Unicode combining characters rather than page formatting, so the line becomes part of the text itself and survives copy-paste into apps that don't support bold, italics, or rich text. That's what separates it from the strikethrough button in a word processor: instead of formatting a document, it's generating special text you can carry anywhere.
// terminology
Strikethrough, crossed out, strikeout — same effect
People land here searching a handful of different ways: strikethrough text, crossed out text, strike through text, line through text, or simply strikeout text. They're all describing the same line-through-the-word effect, just with different phrasing. This strikethrough text generator produces the same consistent result underneath, whichever way you searched for it.
That's also why the tool offers more than one line style. A single crossline reads closest to what most people picture as "strikethrough," while the slash and wavy styles give you a more visibly crossed-out look for things like bios and captions.
// why this tool
Why Use This Generator
- Pure Unicode output — no HTML, no Markdown wrapper. Pastes cleanly into bios, usernames, and comments.
- Nine styles in one tool: long, short, double, wavy, underline, overline, dotted, and tilde.
- Works where rich-text formatting doesn't — social bios, chat usernames, forum titles.
- Runs entirely in your browser. What you type is never sent anywhere.
Styles at a Glance
| Style | Sample | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Long | s̶t̶r̶i̶k̶e̶ | Default cross-out |
| Short | s̵t̵r̵i̵k̵e̵ | Thinner mark |
| Double | s̶̶t̶̶r̶̶i̶̶k̶̶e̶̶ | Emphasized cancel |
| Wavy | s̴t̴r̴i̴k̴e̴ | Playful / glitch look |
| Underline | s̲t̲r̲i̲k̲e̲ | Highlight / link feel |
| Overline | s̅t̅r̅i̅k̅e̅ | Math-style negation |
| Dotted | ṣṭṛịḳẹ | Subtle underline dots |
| Tilde | s̃t̃r̃ĩk̃ẽ | Light decoration |
// common uses
Common Use Cases
Sale price calloutsCross the old price, write the new one beside it — paste straight into a caption or listing.
Suggesting an edit in chatCross a phrase in Slack, Telegram, or a plain forum post with no built-in strikethrough.
Aesthetic bios and usernamesPair with other Unicode styles for a distinct look on Discord or TikTok.
Sarcasm and correctionsCross the wrong word, follow with the right one, for a quick joke in a caption.
// compatibility
Where to Use Strikethrough Text Online
Because the line is embedded in the characters, it holds up almost anywhere text is accepted. See our dedicated guides for chat apps and social media for step-by-step platform instructions.
// how to use
How to Strikethrough Text in 4 Steps
Type, paste, or upload a .txt file.The input box accepts anything from a phrase to a full paragraph.
Pick a style — short, long, double, wavy, underline, overline, dotted, or tilde.Long crossline reads most naturally; short crossline renders most consistently across devices.
Copy or export.Copy sends it straight to your clipboard; Export saves it as a .txt file.
Paste it wherever you need it.The formatting travels with the text, so it holds up outside this page. Need a specific app? See our blog guides.
// the full guide
How Strikethrough Text Generators Work
Every strikethrough text generator, including this one, relies on a feature of the Unicode standard called combining characters. Instead of applying a font style or an HTML tag, the tool inserts an invisible character — most often U+0336, the combining long stroke overlay — directly after each letter you type. That character has no shape of its own; it draws a line through whatever comes before it.
This is different from how strikethrough usually works in software. A word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs applies strikethrough as formatting — a style attribute attached to a run of text. That formatting only exists inside the document; copy the text elsewhere and the line disappears. A Unicode-based generator sidesteps that: because the line lives inside the character encoding itself, it behaves like plain text everywhere it goes.
Strikethrough vs. Bold, Italic, and Other Text Styles
Strikethrough belongs to a broader family of Unicode text effects that includes bold and italic text generators. They all work on a similar principle — swapping standard characters for visually altered Unicode equivalents, or layering combining marks on top of them — which is also why this generator can apply bold or italic and a strikethrough line in the same pass.
When to Use Line-Through Text (and When Not To)
Strikethrough text works well for anything meant to read as a visual aside: a crossed-out price, a joke correction, or a finished to-do item. It's less suited to anything read by assistive technology — screen readers can announce it inconsistently or skip it, so avoid it for text carrying essential information.
Is Strikethrough a Font?
Not technically. A font changes the shape of letters; strikethrough leaves the letters alone and adds a line on top using combining characters, so it works with any font already installed on your device. This is also why the exact look can shift slightly between an iPhone, an Android phone, and a laptop.
// good to know
Frequently asked questions
How do I make strikethrough text without Word or Docs?
Type or paste your text above, choose a style, and copy the result — it uses Unicode characters instead of document formatting, so no software is required.
How do I strikethrough text in Word or Google Docs instead?
In Word, select the text and press Alt+H then 4. In Google Docs, select the text and press Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on Mac). See our full Google Docs guide.
Does it work on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Discord?
Yes. The line is part of the character encoding, not app-level formatting, so it displays correctly in bios, captions, and chats on platforms that don't support rich text.
Can I combine strikethrough with bold or italic?
Yes — turn on Bold or Italic and each letter is swapped for its Unicode bold or italic version before the strike line is applied.
Is strikethrough text accessible to screen readers?
Not reliably. It's a visual effect built from Unicode rather than semantic formatting, so screen readers may skip or misread it.
Why does it look broken on some devices?
Support for the overlay characters varies by font and device. If a style looks uneven, the short crossline style tends to render most consistently.
Does the output work in Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit?
Yes — all four accept plain Unicode text, so pasted output displays correctly in bios, tweets, posts, and comments on each.
How is this different from HTML <s> or Markdown ~~strike~~?
Those only render inside an app that interprets that code — an HTML tag needs a browser reading HTML, Markdown needs an app parsing Markdown. This generator's output is plain Unicode text, so it displays the same everywhere without needing any interpreter.
Will my text still be searchable?
Yes — search engines and in-app search index the base letters normally; the combining marks don't block text matching.
Is there a character limit?
No limit from this tool. Any limit you hit comes from the platform you paste into, not the generator.