Superscript & Subscript Generator
Type digits, signs or letters in either box and copy them as Unicode superscript or subscript — the ² in x², the ₂ in H₂O, the ˢᵗ in 1ˢᵗ. Use it where real formatting is not available: a post, a text message, a spreadsheet cell, a plain-text email. Free, no sign-up.
Your result will appear here
Your result will appear here
How to Use the Superscript & Subscript Generator
- Type only the part that should be raised or lowered. By default each box converts everything you put in it, including the letters. For x², type just
2in the superscript box — notx2. To type the whole expression or formula instead, tick Digits and charges only: letters stay as typed and only the digits (and a charge sign) are converted. - Copy the result. Press Copy under that box.
- Paste it after the normal text. Type the base (x, H, 10) in your message yourself and paste the converted piece after it.
- Check the result. Letters without a small form stay full size; the note below lists which ones.
Worked Examples: What to Type, What You Get
| You want | Type in the box | Box | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| x squared | 2 | Superscript | ² → x² |
| Ten to the minus three | -3 | Superscript | ⁻³ → 10⁻³ |
| n plus one as an exponent | n+1 | Superscript | ⁿ⁺¹ → 2ⁿ⁺¹ |
| Ordinals | st, nd, rd, th | Superscript | ˢᵗ ⁿᵈ ʳᵈ ᵗʰ → 1ˢᵗ 2ⁿᵈ 3ʳᵈ 4ᵗʰ |
| Trademark mark | TM | Superscript | ᵀᴹ |
| Water, glucose, sulfuric acid | H2O, C6H12O6, H2SO4 | Subscript | H₂O, C₆H₁₂O₆, H₂SO₄ |
| Iron(III) oxide, calcium hydroxide, hydrated copper sulfate | Fe2O3, Ca(OH)2, CuSO4·5H2O (with Digits and charges only) | Subscript | Fe₂O₃, Ca(OH)₂, CuSO₄·5H₂O |
| The whole expression x squared, E = mc squared | x2, E=mc2 (with Digits and charges only) | Superscript | x², E=mc² |
| An ion with a charge | Fe3+, Cl- (with Digits and charges only) | Superscript | Fe³⁺, Cl⁻ |
| The nth term | n | Subscript | ₙ → aₙ |
With the default setting a whole formula can go in the subscript box only when every letter is a capital, because the box leaves capitals alone and converts digits. That is why H2O, CO2, CH4 and C6H12O6 come out right. Lowercase letters do convert, which breaks formulas with two-letter symbols: Fe2O3 becomes Fₑ₂O₃, NaCl becomes NₐCₗ, and Ca(OH)2 becomes Cₐ₍OH₎₂ (the brackets lower as well). For those, tick Digits and charges only. Then only digits are converted, and only where a formula puts a subscript: after a letter or a closing bracket. Fe2O3 becomes Fe₂O₃, Ca(OH)2 becomes Ca(OH)₂, and a coefficient before a capital letter or bracket stays full size, so 2H2O becomes 2H₂O. In the superscript box the same setting turns x2+y2=z2 into x²+y²=z² and Fe3+ into Fe³⁺, raising digits and a charge sign but not a + or - that joins two terms. Without the setting, the superscript box raises every character: x2+y2=z2 would become ˣ²⁺ʸ²⁼ᶻ².
Which Characters Exist, and Why Some Do Not
Unicode has superscript and subscript characters for a limited set. The digits 0–9 and the signs + − = ( ) exist in both forms. For letters the box covers superscript a–z except q, and capitals A B D E G H I J K L M N O P R T U V W. Subscript letters are fewer: a e h i j k l m n o p r s t u v x. There is no subscript b, c, d, f, g or q, and no raised capital X, Y or Z. Unicode 18 (September 2026) adds subscript w, y and z (U+209D–U+209F), but they are too new for current fonts, so this tool leaves them out. Unicode 14 and 17 added a raised q and raised capitals C, F, Q and S, but fonts barely support them yet, so this tool leaves those letters full size.
The characters come from several blocks, which is why they sometimes look uneven. ¹ ² ³ are old: they come from Latin-1 (U+00B9, U+00B2, U+00B3), so they display almost anywhere. The other digits and the signs are in the Superscripts and Subscripts block (U+2070–U+209F); the subscript letters ₐ ₑ ₒ ₓ were added to it in Unicode 4.1 and ₕ and ₖ–ₜ in Unicode 6.0. Most raised letters are "modifier letters" borrowed from phonetics (Phonetic Extensions, U+1D00–U+1D7F, and Spacing Modifier Letters, U+02B0–U+02FF). A font may draw the letters from a different design than the digits, so a long run can show uneven heights.
Unicode Characters or Real Formatting?
Use Unicode superscripts in plain-text places: social posts, text messages, chat, spreadsheet cell values, commit messages, filenames that allow them. Use real formatting in documents. In Word, press Ctrl+Shift+= for superscript and Ctrl+= for subscript; in Google Docs, Ctrl+. and Ctrl+,; in HTML, wrap text in <sup> or <sub>. Real formatting keeps the text searchable, readable by screen readers as ordinary text, and it works for every letter. For equations that need more than a few symbols, use LaTeX, and convert it to Unicode with the LaTeX to Unicode Converter.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Exponents, chemical subscripts, ordinals, footnote numbers, signs | This page |
| Whole words in tiny raised letters or small caps | Small Text Generator |
| A calculated power, such as 2^10 | Exponent Calculator |
| A number in scientific notation, 6.02 × 10²³ | Scientific Notation Converter |
| A formula parsed from LaTeX, such as x^2 | LaTeX to Unicode Converter |
A note on accessibility
Screen readers handle these characters unevenly. Some read ² as "squared" or "superscript two"; others read it as "two", so x² can be heard as "x two", and the raised letters may be spelled out, read by name or skipped. A formula, a unit (m²) or an exponent that matters to the meaning is safer as real formatting or as words ("x squared"). Use the Unicode characters for casual text, and never rely on them alone for instructions or data.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I type a superscript or subscript where I can't format text?
- Type the digit or letter in the matching box above, copy the result and paste it after your normal text. The converted character is a separate Unicode character, so it stays raised or lowered wherever plain text is accepted.
- How do I write x² or E = mc² with this tool?
- Type
2in the superscript box and paste ² after the x or the c in your own text. Or tick Digits and charges only and type the whole expression, x2 or E=mc2, to get x² and E=mc². Without that setting, typing the whole expression raises every letter and sign, giving ˣ² or ᴱ⁼ᵐᶜ². For exponents such as 10⁻³, type-3alone and paste it after the 10. - Can I write chemical formulas like H₂O?
- Yes. Tick Digits and charges only, then type the whole formula in the subscript box: H2O, Fe2O3, Ca(OH)2 and CuSO4·5H2O all come out right, because only the digits are lowered and letters, brackets and coefficients stay as typed. Without that setting, formulas whose letters are all capitals (H2O, CO2, C6H12O6) work, but two-letter element symbols such as Fe, Na and Cl are lowered too.
- Why are some letters missing from the subscript?
- Unicode defines subscript forms only for a, e, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, v and x (plus digits, signs and some Greek letters) in the fonts people use today. There is no subscript b, c, d, f, g or q, and w, y and z only arrived in Unicode 18 in September 2026, so this tool leaves them normal size. That is a limit of Unicode and fonts, not a bug.
- How do I make superscript in Word, Google Docs or HTML?
- In Word use Ctrl+Shift+= for superscript and Ctrl+= for subscript; in Google Docs use Ctrl+. and Ctrl+,; in HTML use the
<sup>and<sub>elements. These keep the text as normal text, unlike Unicode characters. - Are Unicode superscripts accessible and searchable?
- Not reliably. Screen readers differ in how they read them, and a search for "m2" will not find m². Use them in casual text and use real formatting or words where the meaning matters.