What is glitch text, also called zalgo text?
Glitch text, also known as zalgo, creepy or cursed text, is normal text with many small marks stacked on each letter, so the letters look like they are melting, flickering or breaking up. The marks are Unicode combining diacritical marks, the same small accents that normally sit on a letter such as é. Normally one mark is enough; this tool stacks many of them.
The marks are real characters, not an image, so the effect survives copy and paste into any field that does not strip them. The marks are picked at random, so the same input gives a slightly different result each time.
How do you use the glitch text generator?
There is nothing to install and no account to make.
- Type or paste your text into the box.
- Choose the intensity: low, medium or high. Higher settings stack more marks on each letter.
- Turn the above, middle and below toggles on or off to choose where the marks appear. Marks above the letters look like rising static, marks below like dripping, marks through the middle like strikes.
- Click copy and paste the result where you want it.
Where does glitch text work, and where does it break?
It works in many places that accept plain text, such as chat messages, comments and bios, but support varies. Some apps strip combining marks and show plain text, some clip the marks at the line edge, and some limit how many combining marks they accept in a row. Preview it where you will publish.
The marks climb over neighboring lines, so in a multi-line field glitch text can overlap the text above and below. A single short line is the safest use. If you want a gentler look, the upside down text and fancy text generator change the letters without stacking marks.
What are the downsides of glitch text?
Every mark counts as an extra character. A short word can turn into dozens of characters, so character limits, including the one on X and Instagram, are reached very quickly. Check the length with the character counter before you post.
Glitch text can be unreadable for screen readers, which may read every mark aloud or skip the text. It is also hard to read for many people and cannot be found by searching for the plain word. Use it sparingly, for a word or a heading, and never for names, links, contact details or anything people must be able to read.
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Frequently asked questions
What is zalgo text?
Zalgo text is regular text with many Unicode combining marks stacked above, through and below each letter, so it looks distorted or haunted. Glitch, creepy and cursed text are other names for it.
How do I make glitch text?
Type your text, pick an intensity, choose whether marks go above, in the middle or below, and click copy. The tool adds random combining marks from the U+0300 to U+036F range.
Why is my glitch text different each time?
The marks are chosen at random for every letter, so each run gives a different pattern. Copy the version you like.
Why does glitch text show up as plain text in some apps?
Some apps remove combining marks or limit how many they accept. If the effect disappears, that app is filtering the marks, and the tool cannot change that.
Does glitch text count toward the character limit?
Yes. Each mark is a separate character, so the count grows fast, and on X and Instagram the limit can be reached with a short word. Use the lower intensity if length matters.
Is this glitch text generator free, and is my text stored?
It is free and needs no account. The conversion runs in your browser and your text is never sent to a server.