Superscript generator
Type text to get small raised letters and numbers, like x² or tiny text, ready to copy into any app.
Quick picks
Each small letter sits on the letter in the same place below it. A space skips one letter. Only 13 letters work: a c d e h i m o r t u v x.
Letters
Examples
Letters above
Tap the result to copy it. Underlined characters have no superscript version, so they stay plain. Your text stays in this browser.
Other small and raised styles
Superscript has close cousins. Each card links to the tool that makes it.
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Last checked by the TextEditor.com team
What is superscript?
Superscript is small text set above the normal line of writing. Math uses it for powers, as in x² or 10⁶. You also see it in dates like the 1ˢᵗ, in footnote numbers, and in the trademark sign ™.
The small 2 sits on the x height, the top of a small x. A real font raises and shrinks it by its own rules.
In a word processor, superscript is a format. The program takes a normal 2, makes it smaller and lifts it up. The characters from this generator work in a different way. Each one is its own Unicode character that is small and raised by design, so it keeps its look when you paste it into a chat or a bio.
Which letters have a superscript version?
Unicode never set out to make a full superscript alphabet. Most small raised letters were added for phonetic transcription, where linguists use them to mark how a sound is made. So they live in several Unicode blocks and came in different years.
XnoneYnoneZnone
Spacing Modifier Letters Phonetic Extensions Superscripts and Subscripts Latin Extended blocks Not in Unicode
Tap a letter to copy it. A box with a year holds a new letter that many phones can't show yet.
There is still no superscript capital X, Y or Z. A small q arrived only in Unicode 14.0 in 2021, together with capital C, F and Q. Capital S followed in Unicode 17.0 in 2025. The generator leaves these new letters plain unless you tick "Newer letters", because older phones and fonts show them as empty boxes.
Superscript numbers and the squared symbol
¹, ² and ³ are older than the other superscript digits. They were already part of ISO 8859-1, a character set for Western European languages, and Unicode kept them in the same places in its Latin-1 Supplement block. The rest, ⁰ and ⁴ to ⁹, sit in the Superscripts and Subscripts block at U+2070 to U+209F.
Tap a digit to copy it. Under each one: its code point and its HTML code. The Alt codes work only for ¹, ² and ³.
Because the digits come from two blocks, some fonts draw ¹²³ a little bigger or lower than ⁴⁵⁶. On Windows you can type the old three with the Alt key: hold Alt and type 0178 on the number pad for ², 0179 for ³ or 0185 for ¹.
How to type superscript in Word, Google Docs and HTML
Inside a document, use the program's own superscript format. It works for every letter, and spell check and search still see normal text. Unicode superscript is for places with no format button, like a chat, a form or a profile bio.
| Where | How | Every letter? |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Word | Ctrl + Shift + = or Cmd + Shift + =, then type. Press it again to go back to normal text. | Yes |
| Google Docs | Ctrl + . or Cmd + ., the period key. | Yes |
| HTML | x<sup>2</sup> shows x2. Try the sup tag in our HTML editor. | Yes |
| Any app | Alt+0178 for ², Alt+0179 for ³, Alt+0185 for ¹, or on a Mac: Ctrl + Cmd + Space opens the Character Viewer. Search for "superscript". | No, only what Unicode has |
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The letters above effect
The Letters above mode uses another trick. Unicode has 13 combining small letters, U+0363 to U+036F, added in version 3.2 in 2002. A combining character takes up no space of its own. It sits on top of the letter before it, like an accent.
The idea is old. In medieval German writing, a small e written over a u showed the sound we now write as ü, so uͤ is where the umlaut came from. Stack too many marks and they bump into the line above. Zalgo text takes this to the extreme with dozens of marks per letter; see the Zalgo text generator.
Every word here uses only the 13 letters that can go on top. Tap one to try it in the Letters above tool.
Will superscript show up everywhere?
The digits and most small letters show on current phones and computers. The trouble is the mix. The letters come from different blocks, so a phone may draw them with two or three different fonts, and ᵃ, ⁱ and ʰ end up at slightly different heights. Stacked letters need room above the line, so in a tight chat bubble they can touch the text above.
ᵃᵇᶜᵈᵉᶠᵍʰⁱʲᵏˡᵐⁿᵒᵖʳˢᵗᵘᵛʷˣʸᶻ ⁰¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹ ᴬᴮᴰᴱᴳᴴᴵᴶᴷᴸᴹᴺᴼᴾᴿᵀᵁⱽᵂ 𐞥ꟲꟳꟴ
The last five are the newer letters. If they look like empty boxes here, they will on many other phones too. Paste the line in the app you plan to use to see what your readers get.
How screen readers read superscript
A screen reader reads text out loud for people who can't see the screen. It reads each superscript letter as its own character. Some voices say "superscript two" for ², some say "squared", and a word in tiny text may come out one letter at a time.
Plain tiny text
Superscript ᵗⁱⁿʸ ᵗᵉˣᵗ
Listen uses your browser's own voice, with the text from the generator. Real screen readers may say it another way.
For a formula like E = mc², that is fine. For a name or a bio, keep the words people need to hear in plain letters and use superscript for a small extra.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type superscript on my keyboard?
Keyboards have no superscript key. In Word, press Ctrl+Shift+= and type. In Google Docs, press Ctrl+. (the period key). On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl. Anywhere else, type in the generator above and copy the result.
How do I type the squared symbol on Windows, Mac or a phone?
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0178 on the number pad. On a Mac, press Ctrl+Cmd+Space and search for "superscript two". On a phone, tap ² in the quick picks above to copy it, then paste it.
Why is there no superscript q or X?
The superscript letters were added for phonetics, one by one, as linguists needed them. Nobody asked for a capital X, Y or Z, so they don't exist. Small q only came in 2021, and many devices still can't show it.
Can I make superscript text on Instagram or Discord?
Yes. The characters from this page are normal Unicode text, so you can paste them into a bio, a caption or a message. Usernames are different: most apps only allow plain letters and numbers there.
What is the difference between superscript and subscript?
Superscript sits above the line, like the 2 in x². Subscript sits below it, like the 2 in H₂O. For lowered text, use the subscript generator.
How do I write superscript in HTML?
Put the text in a sup tag: x<sup>2</sup>. For the digits 1, 2 and 3 you can also use ¹, ² and ³. You can test both in the HTML editor.
Why did the stacked letters break when I pasted them?
Each small letter on top belongs to the letter in front of it. If an app changes or trims the text, a mark can land on the wrong letter or show alone over a dotted circle. Some fonts also place the marks badly, so test in the app first.
Is superscript the same as small caps?
No. Small caps are capital shaped letters at the height of small letters, and they sit on the line: ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴄᴀᴘꜱ. Superscript is raised above it. Small caps are in the small text generator, next to superscript and subscript.
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