What glitch text is
Glitch text, also called Zalgo text, looks like it's melting, corrupted or possessed. It's normal text with lots of combining marks stacked above, through and below every letter. Combining marks are the characters used to build accents like á and ñ, and Unicode lets you stack as many as you like. Pile on enough and the letters look like a broken screen.
glitch → g̷̢͝l̸̛͕i̴̧͠t̶̨̛c̵̡͘h̷̨͝
Controlling the effect
Use the Glitch amount slider above to choose how wild it gets. Low settings give a subtle, crackly look that stays readable. High settings make towering text that spills over the lines above and below.
- Glitch, light: marks above and below, easy to read.
- Glitch: marks above, through and below.
- Glitch, heavy: double the marks for full chaos.
- Glitch rising / dripping: marks only above, or only below.
The same text always gives the same pattern, so you can come back and copy it again.
Where it works well
- Horror and Halloween posts
- Gamer tags with a hacker feel
- Dramatic reactions in chat
- Creepy story titles
Things to watch out for
Length: every mark is a character, so one glitched word can be dozens of characters long. Apps with name or post limits may cut it off. Lower the amount or glitch only one word.
Readability: heavy glitch text can overlap nearby lines and is very hard for screen readers. Use it for fun, not for important messages.
Moderation: some communities and games limit stacked marks because they can cover other people's messages. If your text is removed, use a lighter setting.
Looking for a cleaner look? Strikethrough uses just one mark per letter.