How to Add Strikethrough Text on Instagram, TikTok, and Discord
Strikethrough looks simple until you try to paste it into Instagram and watch it disappear. There are two completely different mechanisms, and most platforms only support one of them.
Two mechanisms, two different audiences
Markdown strikethrough uses tilde syntax: ~~like this~~. Discord renders it. Reddit renders it. Slack renders it. The tildes are stripped and you get a real HTML <del> tag (or equivalent) in the rendered output.
Unicode combining strikethrough uses the character U+0336 (COMBINING LONG STROKE OVERLAY), which attaches visually to the character before it. Y̶o̶u̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶. It is not formatting markup — it is a distinct Unicode character sequence. Because it is just text, it pastes identically everywhere: Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, iMessage, and any other plain-text field.
The catch is that Unicode combining characters look slightly different depending on the font rendering. The strikethrough line sits at a fixed vertical position regardless of letter height, which means it looks perfect on some fonts and a bit off on others.
Platform comparison table
| Platform | Markdown ~~text~~ | Unicode combining |
|---|---|---|
| Discord (messages) | ✅ Renders | ✅ Works |
| Reddit (post body) | ✅ Renders | ✅ Works |
| Slack | ✅ Renders | ✅ Works |
| Telegram | ✅ Renders (via toolbar) | ✅ Works |
| WhatsApp | ✅ Renders (~text~ single tilde) | ✅ Works |
| Instagram (bio, captions) | ❌ Shows raw tildes | ✅ Works |
| TikTok (bio, comments) | ❌ Shows raw tildes | ✅ Works |
| Twitter / X | ❌ Shows raw tildes | ✅ Works |
| Facebook (posts, bio) | ❌ Shows raw tildes | ✅ Works |
| LinkedIn | ❌ Shows raw tildes | ✅ Works |
| iMessage | ❌ | ✅ Works |
| Gmail (compose, plain text) | ❌ | ✅ Works |
Summary: Use Markdown ~~tildes~~ on Discord, Reddit, Slack, Telegram, and WhatsApp (single tilde on WhatsApp). Use Unicode combining strikethrough everywhere else, especially Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
Note on WhatsApp: WhatsApp's mobile keyboard toolbar also has a strikethrough button when you select text, so in practice you rarely need to paste it there. The Unicode method still works if you are composing on desktop or prefer copy-paste.
How Unicode combining strikethrough actually works
U+0336 is a "combining diacritical mark" — the same category as accent characters (é, ñ, ü). When a Unicode renderer encounters a combining character, it renders it attached to the preceding base character rather than as a standalone glyph.
Strikethrough text like ẗ̶h̶i̶s̶ is stored as: t + U+0336 + h + U+0336 + i + U+0336 + s + U+0336. Each letter gets its own overlay character. That is why you can paste it anywhere that accepts plain text — it contains no HTML, no Markdown, no hidden formatting. Every character in the string is a valid Unicode code point.
The visual result depends on the font stack. System fonts on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS all render U+0336 consistently enough that the effect reads clearly. Screen readers typically skip combining characters, so accessibility impact is minimal for decorative use.
To generate it without manually inserting code points, use the fancy text generator — type your text, find the strikethrough output in the list, and copy.
Real use cases on Instagram and TikTok
Price updates. The most common commercial use: "Was ~~$120~~ now $79" — except on Instagram you cannot use Markdown, so it becomes "Was $̶1̶2̶0̶ now $79." Creators who run their own shops use this in captions to emphasize sale prices without a design edit.
Opinion reversals for humor. A format that performs well in comments: a statement with the "original opinion" struck through, followed by the corrected one. Example: "T̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶o̶v̶i̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶e̶ this movie absolutely destroyed me." The visual structure sets up the joke even before you read it.
"Updated" posts. Striking through an old date, location, or piece of information and appending the corrected version in a caption. More honest than deleting and reposting, and visually clearer than a footnote.
Satirical emphasis. Using strikethrough on a word that contradicts the surface meaning, as sarcasm markup. Common in gaming and tech communities on TikTok comments.
Discord-specific: when to use which
On Discord you have both options available in the same message. Markdown ~~strikethrough~~ renders live as you type (you will see the preview before you send), and it looks cleaner because Discord's rendering engine applies the strikethrough at the correct optical height for each glyph.
Unicode combining strikethrough on Discord is still useful in two situations:
- Channel names and category names. Discord's channel name field does not render Markdown, but it accepts Unicode combining characters. Some server owners use strikethrough channel names to mark archived or deprecated channels without deleting them.
- Bot output and embed fields. Depending on how a bot is configured, Markdown may or may not render in certain embed fields. Unicode strikethrough always shows up because it is part of the text content itself.
What about Telegram?
Telegram supports a rich text toolbar in all message fields, including strikethrough via the Format menu (or keyboard shortcut on desktop). It also renders its own Markdown dialect in certain contexts. But like Discord, it also accepts Unicode combining characters, so the paste method works too. If you are sending a Telegram message from a context where you cannot access the toolbar — say, through the web version or an API-connected bot — Unicode is the reliable fallback.
Combining strikethrough with other styles
You can stack Unicode combining characters. Combining strikethrough plus the wide-character (vaporwave) style is a common aesthetic for usernames: each wide character gets a combining overlay, producing something like Ｔ̶Ｈ̶Ｉ̶Ｓ̶. The fancy text generator has several pre-combined options in its Decorations section, and the cursive generator offers cursive-with-strikethrough variants for a more calligraphic effect.
Stacking multiple combining characters per base letter can cause rendering issues on older systems. On mobile — where most social browsing happens — the current Android and iOS font stacks handle single-combining-character overlays correctly.
Open the fancy text generator, type your text, find the strikethrough output in Decorations, copy, paste. No app, no plugin — it's plain text, so it pastes identically to typing.