Free writing tool
Superscript and subscript generator
Type, pick superscript or subscript, copy. When a letter has no small form in Unicode the tool says so, rather than swapping in a look-alike that spells something else.
Everything here is converted. Use Mixed to raise or lower only part of a line.
Superscript
ˢᵘᵖᵉʳˢᶜʳⁱᵖᵗ ᵍᵉⁿᵉʳᵃᵗᵒʳ ²⁰²⁴
What Unicode actually covers
Superscript: 0–9, + − = ( ), every lowercase letter except q, and the capitals A B D E G H I J K L M N O P R T U V W. Subscript: 0–9, + − = ( ), and only a e h i j k l m n o p r s t u v x. There is no subscript capital of any letter. Anything outside those sets stays as typed rather than being swapped for a look-alike from another alphabet.
Converted in your browser. These are phonetic and mathematical characters, not formatting: fine for a footnote marker or a formula in a bio, but a screen reader does not read them as ordinary text and search does not match them against the plain letters.
Why there is no superscript q
Unicode never set out to provide a small raised alphabet. The characters this tool uses were encoded for other jobs: the digits for typesetting footnotes and exponents, the lowercase letters as phonetic modifier symbols for linguists, and a scattering of capitals for the same reason. Coverage is whatever those fields happened to need, which is why every lowercase letter has a superscript except q, and only seventeen lowercase letters have a subscript.
Tools that claim a complete set fill the gaps with unrelated characters. The usual stand-in for a superscript q is a Greek phi, which is a different letter and reads as one. This tool leaves the q as typed and tells you it did, so you can rewrite the word rather than publish a wrong one.
Coverage at a glance
| Set | Available | Missing |
|---|---|---|
| Superscript digits and operators | 0 to 9, plus, minus, equals, brackets | Nothing |
| Superscript lowercase | Twenty-five letters | q |
| Superscript capitals | A B D E G H I J K L M N O P R T U V W | C F Q S X Y Z |
| Subscript digits and operators | 0 to 9, plus, minus, equals, brackets | Nothing |
| Subscript lowercase | a e h i j k l m n o p r s t u v x | b c d f g q w y z |
| Subscript capitals | None | All of them |
Sensible uses, and the cost
- A footnote marker after a claim in a LinkedIn post, with the source at the bottom, is the best use there is. It makes a citation possible in a field that has no footnotes.
- Formulas and units survive: H₂O, CO₂, E = mc², m², 1st and 2nd. Use the mixed tab for anything with both.
- Do not set whole words or names in superscript. A screen reader treats modifier letters inconsistently, and search will not match them to the plain word.
- Different fonts draw these at different heights, so a raised word can sit noticeably higher on one phone than another.