Why plain-text underlining needs a trick
When you press Ctrl+U in a word processor, the program stores an instruction that says this text is underlined. That instruction does not survive a paste into a bio, a chat box or any field that accepts only plain text. This page gets around that by adding a Unicode combining character after each letter, so the mark travels with the text. A word such as G̲e̲n̲e̲r̲a̲t̲o̲r̲ is really the letters plus one invisible-width mark behind each of them, which means a six-letter word is twelve characters long.
The four styles
| Style | Mark added | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Underline | Combining low line (U+0332) | The line usually joins up across letters in a word |
| Double underline | Combining double low line (U+0333) | Two lines, so any font problem is twice as visible |
| Strikethrough | Combining long stroke overlay (U+0336) | Through the middle of each letter |
| Slashed | Combining long solidus overlay (U+0338) | A diagonal slash across each letter; the hardest to read |
The tool updates all four as you type, and each has its own copy button. It leaves spaces unmarked, so the line breaks between words instead of running across the gaps.
Where it holds up and where it breaks
Short phrases work well: a heading in a profile, a single name, a word you want to stand out in a caption. A long paragraph is hard to read because the lines run together.
- Fonts differ. Some draw the line too high, too low or offset from the letter, and some show a blank box.
- Search sees the extra characters between your letters, so a search for the plain word may not find it. Do not underline a username or business name you want people to find.
- Screen readers may read out the marks or skip them in confusing ways. Keep links, instructions and contact details in plain text.
- Every mark counts toward character limits, so a post fills up about twice as fast.
Underlines on the web usually signal a link, so use them sparingly for emphasis. Before posting, paste the result into the real field and look at it on a phone as well as a computer; if the field truncates, the last letter may lose its mark.
If you only need slanted emphasis, the italic text generator is cleaner. For other effects, the tiny text generator shrinks text, and the zalgo text generator uses the same combining-character idea in a much more extreme way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a real font or real underline formatting?
Neither. It is ordinary text with a combining character added after each letter. The mark is part of the text, so it copies anywhere, but editors cannot toggle it off like Ctrl+U.
Why does the underline look broken on some devices?
Rendering depends on the font and operating system. Some fonts position combining marks poorly, so the line may sit at an odd height or appear as an empty box. Test it where it will be seen.
Will people be able to find underlined text by searching?
Often not. The combining characters sit between the letters, so a search for the plain word may fail to match. Avoid it for usernames and brand names.
Can I underline only part of a sentence?
Yes. Type just the words you want, copy the result and paste it into your plain text beside the rest. A single word or short phrase reads better than a whole sentence.
Which style should I pick for emphasis?
Single underline is the most readable. Double underline and slashed text are decorative and get hard to read in small type, and strikethrough means something specific (deleted or corrected) to most readers.