Zalgo Text Generator

About This Tool

This free Zalgo text generator adds Unicode combining diacritical marks to your text, creating the distinctive "glitch" or "cursed" text effect that appears to drip, float, and corrupt on screen. Type normal text and the tool layers combining marks above, through, and below each character to produce the chaotic visual distortion known as Zalgo text. You can control the intensity (mini for a subtle unsettling look, normal for moderate distortion, maxi for extreme chaos) and toggle which directions the marks extend. No signup is required and nothing is stored on any server. The entire process runs instantly with complete privacy. Zalgo text works on most social media platforms, messaging apps, forums, and any application that supports Unicode. The effect is popular for creepypasta stories, horror-themed content, internet memes, spooky usernames, and attention-grabbing social media posts. Each generation produces a slightly different result because the combining marks are selected randomly, giving every output a unique pattern of distortion.

How Zalgo Text Works

Zalgo text exploits a feature of the Unicode standard called combining diacritical marks. These are special characters designed to modify the appearance of the character they follow. A regular accent mark (like the one in "cafe" with accent) is one combining mark. Zalgo text stacks dozens of these marks on a single character.

The Unicode standard defines combining marks in three positional categories:

• Above (U+0300 to U+036F): Marks that render above the base character, such as accents, tildes, and overlines. Stacking many of these causes text to extend upward dramatically.
• Middle/overlay (U+0334 to U+0338): Marks that render through or over the base character, such as strikethroughs and slashes. These add visual noise directly on the letter.
• Below (U+0316 to U+0333): Marks that render below the base character, such as underlines and cedillas. Stacking these causes text to extend downward.

The generator randomly selects marks from the enabled categories and attaches them to each non-whitespace character in your input. Spaces and line breaks are left untouched to preserve basic text structure. The random selection means every generation produces a unique output, even with the same input text and settings.

Controlling the Intensity

The intensity setting controls how many combining marks are attached to each character:

Mini (1-2 marks per character): Produces a subtle, slightly unsettling effect. Characters appear to have extra accents or small extensions. This level is readable and works well for usernames, social media bios, and casual messages where you want a hint of distortion without sacrificing legibility.

Normal (3-5 marks per character): The default setting produces a moderate glitch effect. Text is still partially readable but clearly distorted. This level balances visual impact with usability and is the most popular choice for memes, forum posts, and creative content.

Maxi (6-10 marks per character): Creates extreme distortion that can extend far above and below the text line. Characters become heavily obscured by overlapping marks. This level is used for maximum visual impact in horror-themed content, creepypasta, and shock-value posts. Long text at maxi intensity may cause rendering slowdowns in some applications.

The direction checkboxes let you further customize the output. Enabling only "above" creates an upward-dripping effect. Enabling only "below" creates a downward cascade. Disabling all three directions produces clean, unmodified text.

Where to Use Zalgo Text

Social media: Zalgo text grabs attention in Twitter posts, Instagram comments, Facebook messages, and Reddit threads. Most platforms render Unicode combining marks correctly, so the glitch effect displays as intended. Short phrases work best because long paragraphs of Zalgo text can overwhelm readers.

Discord and chat: Discord servers and chat rooms are prime territory for Zalgo text. The distorted characters add atmosphere to horror roleplay, creepy announcements, and joke messages. Most chat applications handle Unicode well, though some may truncate extremely long strings of combining marks.

Gaming: Some online games allow Unicode characters in chat messages, clan names, and player titles. Zalgo text in game chat creates memorable, intimidating, or humorous impressions. Check your specific game's Unicode support before using heavily distorted text.

Creative writing: Authors writing horror, science fiction, or surreal content use Zalgo text to represent corrupted data, alien communication, eldritch entities, or digital glitches in their stories and online fiction.

Memes and humor: The internet "Zalgo" meme originated in the mid-2000s as a creepypasta horror concept. The associated text effect has since become a general-purpose tool for adding comedic or unsettling emphasis to any message.

Technical Background on Unicode Combining Marks

Unicode combining marks were originally designed for legitimate linguistic purposes. Languages around the world use diacritical marks to modify pronunciation, tone, and meaning. Vietnamese, for example, can stack multiple marks on a single vowel to indicate both tone and vowel quality.

The Unicode Consortium allocated hundreds of code points for combining marks across several blocks. The most relevant for Zalgo text is the "Combining Diacritical Marks" block (U+0300 through U+036F), which contains 112 marks including accents, tildes, hooks, horns, and various dots and lines.

Text rendering engines process combining marks by positioning them relative to the base character. When many marks are stacked, the rendering engine places each one according to its category (above, below, or overlay), creating the characteristic vertical extension that defines Zalgo text. Different fonts and rendering engines handle extreme stacking differently, which is why Zalgo text can look slightly different across platforms and devices.

The tool generates standard Unicode text, not images or special fonts. This means Zalgo output can be copied, pasted, searched, and processed like normal text. However, search engines and text-processing tools typically ignore combining marks when indexing, so Zalgo text is functionally invisible to automated systems.

The Origin of Zalgo

The name "Zalgo" comes from an internet creepypasta character created around 2004. Zalgo is depicted as a dark, chaotic entity that corrupts everything it touches, distorting images, text, and reality itself. The character gained popularity through edited comic strips where normal panels gradually became corrupted with black distortion and the phrase "HE COMES" rendered in chaotic text.

The text effect associated with Zalgo emerged as people discovered they could stack Unicode combining marks to create visually corrupted text that matched the theme of the creepypasta. What started as a niche horror meme evolved into a widely-used text styling technique. The term "Zalgo text" is now used generically to describe any text with excessive combining diacritical marks, even outside of horror contexts.

Zalgo text generators became popular web tools in the early 2010s as social media platforms grew and users sought ways to make their posts stand out. The effect remains popular because it is easy to generate, works across platforms, and produces a distinctive visual impact that no standard text formatting can replicate.

Tips for Best Results

Start with mini intensity: Test your Zalgo text at mini intensity first. If the effect is too subtle, increase to normal or maxi. Starting at maxi can produce text that is completely unreadable, which defeats the purpose if you want the original message to remain partially visible.

Keep messages short: Zalgo text has the strongest impact on short phrases and single words. A one-word Zalgo message is dramatic and readable. A full paragraph at maxi intensity is just a visual mess that most people will scroll past.

Use the Regenerate button: Because mark selection is random, each generation produces a different pattern. Click Regenerate multiple times to find a result with the exact look you prefer before copying.

Test on your target platform: Paste the Zalgo text into a draft post or message preview before publishing. Some platforms may strip or limit combining marks. What looks perfect in this tool might render differently on your target platform.

Combine directions thoughtfully: Enabling only "above" marks creates an upward drip that works well in contexts where you do not want text to overlap with content below. Enabling only "below" keeps the top of your text clean. Mix directions for maximum chaos.

Frequently Asked Questions