Subscript Text Generator

Convert text to Unicode subscript characters.

Input text

Subscript output

Output will appear here

Characters: 0

Subscript reference

0–9:₀ ₁ ₂ ₃ ₄ ₅ ₆ ₇ ₈ ₉

Letters:ₐ(a) ₑ(e) ₕ(h) ᵢ(i) ⱼ(j) ₖ(k) ₗ(l) ₘ(m) ₙ(n) ₒ(o) ₚ(p) ᵣ(r) ₛ(s) ₜ(t) ᵤ(u) ᵥ(v) ₓ(x)

+-=():₊ ₋ ₌ ₍ ₎

Unicode subscript coverage is limited — only the listed letters have dedicated subscript forms.

Unicode subscript text

Subscript Unicode characters work in any plain text context — type H₂O or CO₂ in social media posts, Discord, WhatsApp, and documents without needing HTML or LaTeX. Unicode only defines subscript forms for digits 0–9 and a subset of letters; other characters are passed through unchanged. For superscript (like x² or footnotes) use the superscript text generator.

Built and maintained by Meet Shah · Last updated 5 August 2026

What this tool is used for

Writing a chemical formula in a field that allows no markup.
Adding a subscript index in a plain-text message.
Producing a mathematical variable subscript for a social post.
Styling a footnote reference without HTML.
Checking which characters the subscript range covers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some letters refuse to convert?: Because Unicode has no subscript form for them. The complete Latin set is a, e, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, v and x — leaving b, c, d, f, g, q, w, y and z with nothing to map to, and no uppercase subscripts at all. Unmapped characters pass through and are listed beneath the output.
Why do the letters sit at slightly different heights?: Because they are not all from one block. Digits and most letters live in Superscripts and Subscripts (U+2080–U+209C), but ᵢ, ᵣ, ᵤ and ᵥ come from Phonetic Extensions and ⱼ from Latin Extended-C. Fonts that cover the main block properly often render the strays at a different size or baseline.
Will H₂O survive being pasted into a database or search box?: Not reliably. NFKC normalisation maps every subscript digit back to its ordinary form, so a system that normalises input stores H2O. That is usually what you want for search, and destructive when the subscript was the point — which is why real chemistry markup uses <sub> or LaTeX instead.
How is this different from the HTML <sub> tag?: <sub> asks the renderer to shrink and lower ordinary characters, so every character works and the text underneath stays plain. These are distinct Unicode characters instead, which is what lets them work in a tweet, a Discord message or a filename where no markup is possible — at the cost of a partial alphabet.
Why does uppercase stay uppercase?: Because Unicode defines no uppercase Latin subscripts, so there is nothing to substitute. For chemical formulae that happens to be exactly right: CO₂ and H₂O want capital element symbols with only the digit lowered, which is what you get by typing them normally.

Common errors and gotchas

Assuming full coverage, since the subscript range is even patchier than superscript.
Using it for real chemical or mathematical notation, which needs proper markup.
Expecting a screen reader to convey the subscript relationship, which it will not.
Writing a chemical formula this way in content that a search must find by its real digits.
Assuming the subscript range covers letters as well as digits, where the gaps are much larger.