What are superscript and subscript?
Superscript text appears slightly above the normal line of text at a reduced size (like the exponent in x²), while subscript text appears slightly below the line (like the "2" in H₂O). In traditional typography and HTML, these are created with formatting tags, but Unicode provides dedicated superscript and subscript character variants that work as plain text — meaning they display in any context without any special rendering.
Unicode superscript and subscript characters
Unicode includes superscript digits (⁰¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹), a selection of superscript letters (ᵃᵇᶜ...), and subscript digits (₀₁₂₃₄₅₆₇₈₉) along with a more limited set of subscript letters (ₐₑₒₓ...). Characters without Unicode equivalents are passed through unchanged. This means superscript and subscript work best for digits and common letters.
Common uses
Superscript: Mathematical exponents (x²), footnote references (note¹), ordinal indicators (1ˢᵗ, 2ⁿᵈ), trademark symbols (™), and social media bios. Subscript: Chemical formulas (H₂O, CO₂), mathematical subscripts (xₙ), and physics notation. Both are useful anywhere you want to express these ideas in plain text without HTML support.
Compatibility notes
These Unicode characters display correctly on virtually all modern devices — iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. The characters are part of well-established Unicode blocks and have broad font support. Some older or specialised fonts may substitute a placeholder box for characters they don't include, but this is rare on modern systems. The result copies and pastes cleanly across all platforms.