CORRUPTED TEXT

Corrupted text — also called zalgo text, glitch text, or cursed text — is ordinary text with Unicode combining diacritical marks stacked on top of it. Each mark is a real character that renders above, below, or through the letter it follows. Pile enough of them on and the text looks like it's melting, screaming, or escaping its container: t̸̢̛h̵̳̏ḭ̶̕s̴̩̅.

Because the output is plain Unicode, no images or fonts are involved. You can copy it and paste it anywhere that accepts text — chat apps, usernames, bios, comments, captions.

Glitch styles explained

• Zalgo (Classic) — marks above and below, the original "he comes" look
• Top Heavy — corruption rises above the line
• Bottom Heavy — corruption drips below the line
• Middle Heavy — strikethrough-style marks through the letters
• Minimal — subtle distortion that stays readable
• Extreme Chaos — maximum stacking for full unreadability

Does corrupted text work on Discord, TikTok and Instagram?

Discord: works in messages, nicknames, and channel names. Very tall zalgo used to overlap other messages; Discord now clips extreme marks, so use chaos level 4–6 for the best effect. TikTok & Instagram: work in captions and comments; usernames are restricted to basic characters, so corrupted text won't save there. Twitter/X, Reddit, YouTube: generally fine in posts and comments, though some subreddits use AutoModerator rules that remove heavy zalgo.

If a platform strips or filters your text, lower the chaos level — fewer combining marks per letter pass through most filters.

Is it safe to copy-paste?

Yes. Combining marks are standard Unicode and can't carry code or do anything to a device. The worst that can happen is a platform rejecting the text or rendering it as boxes if the font lacks the marks.

Ready-made corrupted text to copy

If you just need something to paste right now, these are pre-generated at different chaos levels. Everything below is plain Unicode — select and copy it like any other text.

• Subtle: h̃ẽl̃l̃õ — low mark count, stays readable and survives most filters
• Classic zalgo: h̷̢̛ę̶̀l̸̰̏l̴̥̈ő̷̬ — the standard "he comes" look
• Top heavy: h̋͊͐ë̽͑̚l̈́̋͝l̏̈́͛ő̓͛͝ — corruption rises above the line
• Bottom heavy: h̡̨̛̗̘e̢̧̛̙̜l̢̡̛̝̞l̢̧̛̟̠ơ̢̡̗̙ — corruption drips below
• Extreme: h̸̢̧̛̛̗̘̙̜̋͊͐̽͑̚ë̵̡̢̧̛̝̞̟̠́̋͝͝ĺ̶̨̢̛̗̙̜̏̈́͛͝l̷̡̢̧̛̝̟̠̈́̽̋͐ǫ̴̢̛̗̘̙̋̋͛͝͝ — maximum stacking

For your own words at any intensity, type into the box above and drag the chaos slider.

Where corrupted text is used

• Usernames and display names on Discord, Twitch, and games that allow Unicode.
• Horror and creepypasta writing — the effect originated with the "Zalgo" internet legend, where distorted text signalled something wrong with reality itself.
• Video thumbnails and titles for glitch, horror, and hacker content.
• Stream overlays and alerts, usually paired with a breach screen or Matrix rain background.
• Album art, posters, and zines in vaporwave, cyberpunk, and noise aesthetics.

Why does corrupted text sometimes show as boxes?

A box or question mark means the device's font has no glyph for that combining mark. This is most common on older Android builds and some Windows fonts. The text itself is intact — it will render correctly for anyone whose font covers the marks. Lowering the chaos level uses more common marks and improves compatibility.

How do I remove corrupted text formatting?

Paste it into a plain-text field that strips combining marks, or retype it. There is no way to "undo" it in place, because the marks are genuine characters in the string rather than formatting applied on top of it — which is exactly why the effect travels between apps at all.

Related tools

Want a different text effect? Try the leet speak (1337) translator, reverse / mirror text, or browse Unicode symbols to decorate names manually. For a full glitchy screen rather than glitchy text, see the system breached screen.