Glitch Text Generator
Turn text into glitchy zalgo text with adjustable intensity.
What is Zalgo text?
Zalgo text (named after an internet horror meme) is created by combining regular Unicode characters with large numbers of Unicode combining diacritical marks — characters that are meant to modify the letter they follow, like accents, umlauts, and other language marks. When many combining marks stack above and below a single character, they overflow into adjacent text lines, creating a chaotic, creepy visual glitch effect.
The Unicode Combining Diacritical Marks range (U+0300 to U+036F) contains 112 combining characters intended for languages that use accented letters. Adding many of these to a single character is technically valid Unicode but produces visually disruptive results on most text rendering systems. The effect varies by platform — some systems limit the vertical extent of combining marks while others let them stack indefinitely.
Zalgo text is used for horror-themed usernames, creepy social media posts, developer jokes, game character names, and anywhere an intentionally unsettling visual effect is desired. It is pure Unicode text — no images, no special fonts — so it works in any text field that accepts Unicode input.
Common mistakes
- Pasting in input fields — Zalgo text can cause issues in some text inputs, databases with strict character validation, and form fields that limit character types. Test before using in production systems.
- Accessibility — Screen readers will attempt to read each combining mark individually, producing extremely verbose and confusing output. Never use Zalgo text where accessibility matters.