How to Strikethrough Text on Every Platform — Discord, Google Docs, Slack, Word & More

Strikethrough text is text with a horizontal line drawn through it, like t̶h̶i̶s̶. It's used to indicate deletion, correction, completion, or humor across documents, messages, and social media.

Strikethrough serves several purposes:

• Editing and proofreading: Show what was removed without fully deleting it, so readers can see the original text
• Task completion: Cross off completed items in to-do lists
• Humor and emphasis: Create a "saying without saying" effect on social media (e.g., "That was a t̶e̶r̶r̶i̶b̶l̶e̶ great idea")
• Price changes: Show original prices with strikethrough next to sale prices (~~$99~~ $49)
• Legal and academic: Indicate redacted or superseded content while preserving the record

Every major platform supports strikethrough — but they all do it differently. This guide covers the exact method for each one.

Discord uses Markdown-style formatting. To strikethrough text in Discord:

Wrap your text with two tildes (~~) on each side:

~~this text is crossed out~~

This renders as: ~~this text is crossed out~~

Tips for Discord strikethrough:
- Works in messages, channel topics, and server descriptions
- Can be combined with other formatting: ~~bold strikethrough~~, ~~italic strikethrough~~
- Does NOT work in usernames or nicknames — use our Strikethrough Text Generator for Unicode strikethrough that works in Discord names
- Two tildes required on each side — one tilde won't work

Discord's strikethrough is server-rendered, meaning it only displays in Discord itself. If you need strikethrough text that works everywhere, use Unicode combining characters instead.

Slack uses a slightly different syntax from Discord:

Wrap your text with single tildes (~) on each side:

~this text is crossed out~

Important Slack strikethrough notes:
- Single tilde (~), not double (~~) like Discord
- Works in messages, canvas documents, and thread replies
- Can be combined: ~bold strikethrough~ or _~italic strikethrough~_
- The shortcut Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows) or ⌘+Shift+X (Mac) also works in Slack's message composer
- In Slack's newer rich text editor, you can also highlight text and click the strikethrough button (S with a line through it) in the formatting toolbar

Google Docs supports strikethrough through both keyboard shortcuts and the menu:

Keyboard shortcut (fastest):
- Windows/Linux: Alt + Shift + 5
- Mac: ⌘ + Shift + X

Via the menu:
1. Select the text you want to strikethrough
2. Go to Format → Text → Strikethrough
3. The selected text now has a line through it

Google Sheets: The same shortcut works — Alt + Shift + 5 (Windows) or ⌘ + Shift + X (Mac)

Google Slides: Format → Text → Strikethrough, or use the same keyboard shortcuts

Pro tip: To remove strikethrough, select the text and press the same shortcut again — it toggles on/off.

Microsoft Word offers multiple methods for strikethrough:

Method 1: Keyboard shortcut
- Select your text, then press Alt + H + 4 (ribbon shortcut sequence)
- There's no single direct keyboard shortcut in Word by default, but you can assign one via File → Options → Customize Ribbon → Keyboard Shortcuts

Method 2: Home tab
1. Select your text
2. Go to the Home tab
3. Click the abc with a line through it (Strikethrough) button in the Font group

Method 3: Font dialog
1. Select your text
2. Press Ctrl + D to open the Font dialog
3. Check the 'Strikethrough' checkbox (or 'Double strikethrough' for two lines)
4. Click OK

Double Strikethrough: Word is one of the few apps that supports double strikethrough (two parallel lines through text). Access it via the Font dialog → Double strikethrough checkbox.

Excel: Home tab → Font group → Strikethrough button, or Ctrl + 5

Outlook: Same as Word — select text, Home tab → Strikethrough button

For web developers, HTML offers semantic strikethrough tags:

The <del> tag (recommended for deleted content):

<del>This content has been deleted</del>

The <del> tag has semantic meaning — screen readers announce it as deleted content, and search engines understand it represents removed text.

The <s> tag (for no-longer-relevant content):

<s>Original price: $99</s> Now: $49

Use <s> when content is no longer accurate or relevant but isn't technically "deleted."

CSS text-decoration:

.strikethrough {
  text-decoration: line-through;
}

/* With color and style options */
.fancy-strike {
  text-decoration: line-through wavy red;
}

Deprecated: The <strike> tag still works in most browsers but is deprecated in HTML5. Use <del> or <s> instead.

Accessibility note: <del> is the most accessible option because screen readers like JAWS and NVDA announce "deletion" to users. CSS-only strikethrough is purely visual and invisible to assistive technology.

Standard Markdown (CommonMark) does NOT include strikethrough. However, GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) and most Markdown processors support it:

~~This text is struck through~~

Platforms that support ~~strikethrough~~ in Markdown:
- GitHub (README files, issues, PRs, comments)
- GitLab
- Reddit
- Discord
- Stack Overflow
- Notion
- Obsidian
- Most static site generators (Jekyll, Hugo, Gatsby)

Platforms where Markdown strikethrough does NOT work:
- Standard/CommonMark Markdown without extensions
- Some email clients
- Certain CMS platforms with limited Markdown support

If you need strikethrough in a platform that doesn't support Markdown, use Unicode strikethrough characters instead — they work everywhere.

WhatsApp:
Wrap your text with single tildes:

~this is strikethrough~

This works in WhatsApp messages on iOS, Android, and WhatsApp Web. Single tildes only — double tildes won't work.

Reddit:
Reddit uses the same syntax as Discord and GitHub Markdown:

~~this is strikethrough~~

Double tildes on each side. Works in posts, comments, and messages.

Other platforms:
- Notion: Highlight text → Strikethrough option, or ~~double tildes~~
- Trello: ~~double tildes~~ in card descriptions and comments
- Jira: -single dashes- around text
- Telegram: No native shortcut — use our Strikethrough Text Generator for Unicode strikethrough

When a platform doesn't support native strikethrough formatting, Unicode combining characters are your solution. This is what our Strikethrough Text Generator uses.

How it works:
Unicode includes special "combining" characters that overlay on top of the preceding character. The combining long stroke overlay (U+0336) draws a horizontal line through any character it's attached to.

For example, the letter 'H' followed by U+0336 renders as: H̶

By inserting U+0336 after every character in your text, the entire string appears struck through: H̶e̶l̶l̶o̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶l̶d̶

Why this is powerful:
- Works on ANY platform that supports Unicode (which is virtually everything)
- Works in places where Markdown doesn't — Instagram bios, Twitter/X, Facebook, email subjects, gaming usernames
- The strikethrough is "baked into" the characters, so it survives copy-pasting across platforms
- Multiple styles available: single line (U+0336), short stroke (U+0335), long solidus (U+0338), short solidus (U+0337)

The trade-off: Unicode strikethrough text has a higher character count (each visible character is actually two characters), which matters for platforms with character limits like Twitter/X.

Strikethrough text is more versatile than most people realize:

Professional use:
- Document editing: Show tracked changes and revisions
- Legal documents: Indicate superseded clauses while preserving the original record
- Pricing displays: Show original prices crossed out next to sale prices
- Project management: Mark completed tasks in to-do lists and changelogs

Social media and casual use:
- Humor: The "saying it while not saying it" effect — "That meeting was t̶e̶r̶r̶i̶b̶l̶e̶ productive"
- Self-correction: Playful corrections that show your thought process
- Emphasis: Drawing attention to something by visually crossing it out
- Aesthetic: Using strikethrough as a design element in bios and profiles

Developer use:
- Changelogs: Show deprecated features or removed API endpoints
- Documentation: Indicate outdated information while keeping it visible
- Code comments: Mark TODO items as done
- Pull requests: Show what changed in descriptions and reviews

Generate strikethrough text instantly with our free Strikethrough Text Generator — multiple styles, one-click copy, works everywhere.

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