Strikethrough Text Generator

The line is built into the text itself, so it travels with a copy and paste.

1. Type or paste the words you want crossed out into the Input box.
2. The struck version appears in the output box as you type.
3. Pick a look from the Line style menu: Long stroke, Short stroke or Tilde overlay.
4. Click Copy.
5. Paste it into your post, bio, message or document.

Every character except a line break receives the mark, including spaces and punctuation, so the line runs unbroken across a phrase. To cross out only part of a sentence, convert just that part and paste it into the middle of your normal text.

Each style adds a different Unicode combining mark after every character:

• Long stroke, U+0336, the default: S̶o̶l̶d̶. Neighbouring strokes join into one line.
• Short stroke, U+0335: S̵o̵l̵d̵. A shorter bar through the middle, often with small gaps.
• Tilde overlay, U+0334: S̴o̴l̴d̴. A wavy line, which reads as playful rather than editorial.

Worked example. The input Sold out has eight characters including the space. The output has sixteen code points, each letter followed by its invisible mark, and it displays as S̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶. For a price drop, convert only the old figure: type 40, copy 4̶0̶, and write the sentence around it as Was 4̶0̶, now 25.

Rendering depends on the font of the app you paste into. The long stroke is usually the most reliable on phones. For a diagonal line, use the slash text generator, and for a line beneath the letters, the underline text generator.

Because the doubled length counts toward limits, a crossed-out post holds about half the visible text, and a text message containing combining marks often switches to a mode that fits fewer characters per message. Check the total with the character counter before you send.

Meaning matters too. Screen readers usually ignore the overlay and read the plain word, so a listener hears Sold out with no sign that anything was crossed out. Do not use strikethrough as the only way to show a price change or a cancelled event: write was and now, or cancelled, in words as well.

Where the app supports markup, real strikethrough is better. WhatsApp strikes text between single tildes and Discord between double tildes, and both keep the text searchable. Unicode strikethrough is for places that have no such option, such as bios, display names, group names and subject lines. To remove the marks later, paste the text into Remove Text Formatting, which strips combining characters and leaves the original letters.

Strikethrough works well when the crossed-out word is part of the message, not a decoration.

• Planning and checklists. In a shared note, strike the days or tasks that are finished, such as T̶u̶e̶s̶d̶a̶y̶, and leave the rest plain. Convert each word separately so you can keep the unfinished ones untouched.
• Corrections. Keep the wrong word struck and write the right one after it, so readers can see what changed.
• Jokes and asides. The abandoned thought is the punchline, so keep it short.
• Offers. Strike only the old figure and state both prices in words.

Avoid it where accuracy matters. A struck clause in a contract, invoice or policy is not a tracked change, and a reader who copies the text will lose the line and keep the words. Use the revision features of a word processor for anything legal or financial.

Two practical notes. Pasting struck text into a search box or form field often searches for the plain letters, which is useful for finding a page but confusing if you expected the cross-out to count. And if the text must stay readable for everyone, the safest approach is to cross it out and also mention the change in a normal sentence.