What is a Zero Width Space?

A Zero Width Space (U+200B) is a Unicode character that takes up no visible space but is recognized as a character by text systems. It's used for line break control, text formatting, and creating invisible text.

What's the difference between zero-width characters?

Zero Width Space (U+200B) allows line breaks, Zero Width Joiner (U+200D) connects characters (used in emojis), Zero Width Non-Joiner (U+200C) prevents ligatures, and Word Joiner (U+2060) prevents line breaks.

How do I type a Zero Width Space?

You can't type it directly on a keyboard. Use this page to copy it, or in HTML use or &ZeroWidthSpace;. In programming, use the Unicode escape \u200B.

Why would I use Zero Width Space in programming?

Zero Width Space is useful for controlling word breaks in long strings, creating invisible watermarks, separating text without visible spaces, and testing how applications handle special characters.

Can Zero Width Space cause bugs?

Yes, invisible characters can cause hard-to-debug issues. Strings that look identical may not match due to hidden zero-width characters. Always sanitize user input if zero-width characters might cause problems.

How do I detect Zero Width Space in text?

In JavaScript, you can use /[\u200B-\u200D\uFEFF\u2060]/.test(text) to detect zero-width characters. Most text editors can reveal hidden characters with a special mode.

Zero Width Space Character

Copy Zero Width Space (U+200B) and related invisible Unicode characters. Technical reference for developers and text formatting.

Copy Zero Width Characters

Zero Width Space

U+200B

HTML: 

CSS: \200B

Zero Width Joiner

U+200D

HTML: ‍

CSS: \200D

Zero Width Non-Joiner

U+200C

HTML: ‌

CSS: \200C

Zero Width No-Break Space

U+FEFF

HTML: 

CSS: \FEFF

Word Joiner

U+2060

HTML: ⁠

CSS: \2060

Zero Width Character Reference

Character	Unicode	JavaScript	Purpose
Zero Width Space	`U+200B`	`\u200B`	Line break opportunity
Zero Width Joiner	`U+200D`	`\u200D`	Join characters (emojis)
Zero Width Non-Joiner	`U+200C`	`\u200C`	Prevent ligatures
Word Joiner	`U+2060`	`\u2060`	Prevent line breaks
Zero Width No-Break Space	`U+FEFF`	`\uFEFF`	BOM / no-break

Zero Width Character Detector

Paste text to detect hidden zero-width characters:

Length: 0|Zero-width found: None

Code Examples

JavaScript - Remove Zero Width Characters

const cleanText = text.replace(/[\u200B-\u200D\uFEFF\u2060]/g, '');

JavaScript - Detect Zero Width Characters

const hasZeroWidth = /[\u200B-\u200D\uFEFF\u2060]/.test(text);

HTML - Insert Zero Width Space

<span>Long&#8203;Word&#8203;That&#8203;Can&#8203;Break</span>

CSS - Use Word Joiner

.no-break::after { content: "\2060"; }

Need invisible characters for social media or gaming?

Common Uses for Zero Width Space

1.Word breaking: Insert ZWS to allow long words or URLs to break at specific points without visible hyphens.
2.Text watermarking: Embed invisible characters to track document copying (steganography).
3.Emoji sequences: Zero Width Joiner combines emojis into compound emojis (👨‍👩‍👧 is made with ZWJ).
4.Preventing ligatures: ZWNJ stops automatic ligature formation in fonts that support it.
5.Testing: Verify that your application correctly handles invisible characters in user input.