How the line gets through the letters
Unicode has combining characters — marks that attach to whatever character precedes them. The long-stroke overlay (U+0336) draws a horizontal line through its host; place one after every letter and the whole word reads as struck through. Variants swap the mark: short slash (U+0338) for s̸l̸a̸s̸h̸, tilde overlay (U+0334) for a wavy s̴t̴r̴i̴k̴e̴.
Where it works
These aren't fonts — they're Unicode characters, so they survive copy-paste anywhere plain text is allowed: Instagram bios and captions, X/Twitter posts and names, TikTok, Discord, WhatsApp, Telegram, YouTube titles and comments, Facebook, and even file names. Because the styling lives in the character itself, no formatting is lost when you paste. A few places with strict filters (some game chats, bank forms) may reject exotic characters, and very old devices can show empty boxes (□) for the rarest styles — the popular styles on this page render on effectively every modern phone and browser.
The rhetoric of the crossed-out word
Strikethrough says "I'm deleting this but want you to read it anyway" — the visible correction (m̶i̶s̶t̶a̶k̶e̶ learning opportunity), the price drop ($̶9̶9̶ $49), the ex-item on a bucket list. It's one of the few text effects that adds meaning rather than just style, which is why it works in professional contexts too.
Accessibility tip: screen readers spell some styled characters letter-by-letter ("mathematical bold capital a…"), which is tedious for listeners. Use fancy text for decoration — names, headers, highlights — rather than for whole paragraphs.
Frequently asked questions
How do I strikethrough text on Twitter/X or Instagram?
Neither platform has a native strikethrough button — paste Unicode strikethrough from this page instead. Type, copy the struck output, paste into your tweet, bio, or caption.
Why does struck text sometimes look broken or misaligned?
Fonts draw combining overlays at slightly different heights; a few older fonts draw them beside instead of through the letter. Modern phone and browser fonts render it cleanly.
Does Discord need this, or does it have strikethrough?
Discord (like Reddit and WhatsApp) has native markdown: ~~text~~ becomes struck. Unicode strikethrough is for places without markdown — bios, names, Instagram, X — and for text that must survive re-copying.
Can I remove the strikethrough from copied text?
Yes — the marks are separate characters, so deleting works but is tedious. Easiest fix: retype the plain word, or paste into a tool that strips combining marks.