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Unicode guide

How Strikethrough Text Works and Where It Survives

Copyable strikethrough text places a combining mark after each visible character. The line is encoded as part of the character sequence rather than as rich-text formatting, so it can remain after copy-paste into a plain-text field.

Written & reviewed by Jack Shi · Last reviewed 2026-09-04

Make it now

Generate it in three steps

  1. 1

    Open the strikethrough text generator and type or paste the text you want to cross out.

  2. 2

    GlyphSift adds the U+0336 combining long stroke after each visible character, leaving spaces unmarked.

  3. 3

    Copy the struck-through result and paste it into a chat, post, or other plain-text field.

Open the strikethrough text generator →
01

Strikethrough is a combining character

U+0336 COMBINING LONG STROKE OVERLAY belongs to the Combining Diacritical Marks block, U+0300–U+036F. It follows a visible character and renders a horizontal stroke across it.

U+0336 uses a long stroke that runs through the character. U+0335 COMBINING SHORT STROKE OVERLAY is a different mark; GlyphSift uses U+0336 for this effect.

02

Why it survives copy-paste

The overlay is a character in the text sequence, so copying the result transfers it with the underlying text. It does not depend on a rich-text strikethrough setting.

This allows the effect to persist in fields that accept plain text, provided the destination keeps and renders the combining mark.

InputSold Out
GlyphSift outputS̶o̶l̶d̶ O̶u̶t̶

Each visible letter is followed by U+0336; the space has no overlay.

03

What it covers and when to avoid it

GlyphSift adds the overlay after every visible character, including letters, digits, and symbols. Spaces do not receive the mark, which avoids an unusual stroke across the gap.

Some screen readers ignore the overlay and read only the underlying text, so strikethrough should not carry essential information. When a destination supports native rich-text strikethrough, prefer that feature instead.

Input50% off
GlyphSift output5̶0̶%̶ o̶f̶f̶

The digits and percent sign are struck through too, while the space remains unmarked.

Try the behavior

Related tools

styleStrikethrough Text Generator

Add a Unicode combining stroke over each character to create copyable strikethrough text.

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inspectUnicode Normalizer

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do I cross out text?
Paste your text into the strikethrough text generator; it overlays each visible character with the Unicode combining long stroke (U+0336), then you copy the result.
Where does strikethrough text survive?
Because the line is a combining character rather than formatting, it can persist in plain-text fields that keep and render the mark. Destinations that strip combining marks, or that offer native rich-text strikethrough, may behave differently, so test the target.
Does strikethrough cross out numbers and symbols too?
Yes. The overlay is added to every visible character, including digits and punctuation; only spaces are left without a line.
Is strikethrough text accessible?
Not fully. Some screen readers ignore the overlay and read only the underlying text, so avoid it for essential information.

Primary standards

References

  • The Unicode Standard, Version 17.0
  • Combining Diacritical Marks (U+0300–U+036F)
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Static Unicode maps target Unicode 17.0. Segmentation and normalization use the runtime's Unicode data.