Understanding Glitch/Zalgo Text

Glitch text (also called Zalgo text) is created by adding Unicode combining characters — diacritics that stack above and below base letters. The result looks corrupted, chaotic, or "cursed," making it popular for horror content, gaming, and edgy memes.

How Zalgo Text Works

Unicode includes hundreds of combining characters (accents, dots, lines, etc.) that attach to base characters. Zalgo text exploits this by stacking many combining marks on each letter, creating tall columns of symbols that overflow into adjacent lines.

Intensity Levels Explained

Light (25%): Adds a few combining marks. Text remains readable with a subtle glitch effect. Good for occasional emphasis or creepy undertones without sacrificing legibility.

Medium (50%): Moderate stacking. Still mostly readable but noticeably distorted. Works well for usernames, short phrases, or social media bios that want a glitch aesthetic.

Heavy (75%): Significant stacking. Text becomes harder to read but the glitch effect is prominent. Best for horror titles, meme text, or gaming clan names where style matters more than readability.

Hell (100%): Maximum chaos. Letters are buried under combining marks, creating tall vertical columns. Unreadable as text, but visually striking as a design element. Use sparingly.

Direction Control

You can control whether combining marks appear above, below, or both. "Above only" keeps the effect contained and is less likely to overlap with other text. "Below only" creates a dripping effect. "Both" creates the full Zalgo chaos.

Use Cases

Horror content: Creepy titles, cursed messages, horror game usernames.

Gaming: Edgy clan names, boss titles, corrupted text in game lore.

Memes: "Cursed" comments, glitch aesthetic posts, ironic chaos.

Mobile Compatibility Warning

Heavy glitch text can cause rendering issues on older mobile devices or messaging apps with limited Unicode support. Test your text on your target platform before using it extensively. Some apps may truncate or strip combining characters.

Style Your Text

Transform your text with fancy fonts, decorations, and creative combos

Direction

💡 Glitch only affects English letters and numbers

Preset Variants

Custom

50%
LightMediumHeavyHell
H̦̗̞́̋̆ȅ̷̬̊̉́l̦̙̈l̎ô̸ W̶̪̜̏o̞r̪̙̠̙l̸̤̞̪̉̏̊ď̠̟̖́̀̇
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zalgo/glitch text and how is it created?

Zalgo text uses Unicode combining characters — diacritics that stack above and below base letters. By adding many combining marks to each letter, the text looks corrupted or "cursed." Our generator lets you control intensity (25%-100%) and direction (above, below, or both).

Will glitch/Zalgo text work on all devices and apps?

Most modern devices and apps support combining characters, but older devices or apps with limited Unicode support may render them incorrectly or strip them entirely. Heavy glitch text (75%+) can cause performance issues on some mobile devices. Test on your target platform first.

How do I control glitch intensity and direction?

Use our slider to set intensity from 0-100%. Lower values (25%) keep text readable with subtle distortion. Higher values (75-100%) create maximum chaos. Choose direction: "Above" adds marks over letters, "Below" creates a dripping effect, "All" does both for full Zalgo chaos.