All Tools VerseCombining characters are Unicode marks that attach to the character before them, so an accent, a tilde, or a stack of marks can be added on top of a normal letter. Pile enough of them on and you get the glitchy “zalgo” text that spills above and below the line. This guide explains how combining characters work, how zalgo is made, and a free tool to add them.
In this guide
What combining characters are
Most characters are standalone, but Unicode also has combining marks that have no width of their own and instead modify the character before them. An accent added this way sits on top of the letter it follows, so a plain e plus a combining acute accent displays as an accented e while remaining two code points. The code point idea behind this is covered in our text encoding guide.
How they stack
You can apply more than one combining mark to a single base character, and they stack in order. One letter can carry an accent, a dot below, and a stroke through it all at once, each a separate code point layered onto the same base. This is how Unicode supports the many accented forms across world languages without a unique character for every combination.
How zalgo text works
Zalgo, the creepy text that appears to drip and corrupt, is just combining marks taken to an extreme. Dozens of marks are stacked above and below each letter, so the glyphs overflow their line and bleed into the text around them. It looks chaotic, but underneath it is ordinary combining characters, which is why it copies and pastes as a much longer string than it appears.
Add combining marks
The add combining characters tool layers marks onto your text, from a single tasteful accent to a full zalgo effect, and shows the result instantly. Because each mark is a real code point, you can see exactly what was added by listing the code points, as our code points guide describes.
Where to be careful
Combining marks have a serious side. Long stacks can break layouts, slip past length limits, and are sometimes used to disrupt or obfuscate text in usernames and messages. Many platforms now strip or limit them for that reason. Used in moderation they are essential for correct multilingual text, but a wall of zalgo is best kept to playful contexts where it will not break something.
Free tools used in this guide
Frequently asked questions
What is a combining character?
A Unicode mark with no width of its own that attaches to the character before it, such as an accent that sits on top of a letter.
How is zalgo text made?
By stacking many combining marks above and below each letter, so the glyphs overflow the line and look corrupted.
Why is zalgo text longer than it looks?
Because each mark is a separate code point, so a few visible letters can hold dozens of hidden combining characters.
Can a letter have more than one combining mark?
Yes. Marks stack in order, so one base character can carry an accent, a mark below, and a stroke at the same time.
Why do some sites strip combining characters?
Because long stacks break layouts and can be used to obfuscate text, so platforms limit them to protect display and moderation.