Zalgo Text Generator

Turn ordinary text into creepy, glitchy "cursed" text in one click.

Zalgo Text Generator

This tool corrupts/obscure your text with Unicode combining marks so it looks unrecognisable (some would say haunted!).
Type or paste text in the "Input" field, set how chaotic you want it, and press "Generate Zalgo".
The obscure and cursed(!) result appears in the "Output" field.

Load an example

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Settings
One-click intensity presets.
Combining marks added per character - random between Min and Max.
Marks stack over the top of the letters.
Overlay and strikethrough-style marks through the letter.
Marks hang under the letters.
Random glyphs from every enabled zone, for maximum noise.
Repeats a single glyph type, for a tidier patterned look.
Leaves spaces untouched.
Keeps line breaks intact.
Punctuation stays clean.
Digits stay untouched.
Adds rarer Unicode combining marks - rendering varies more between devices.
Ready to generate Zalgo text.

Overview

The "Zalgo Text Generator" is a free utility that turns normal text into the chaotic, corrupted "cursed" writing you see across horror memes and spooky social posts. It works by stacking many Unicode combining marks - the same characters used for accents and diacritics - above, through, and below each letter, so the text appears to bleed out of its lines.

You control how violent the effect is: pick a chaos level (how many marks per character), choose whether the damage goes above, in the middle, or below the letters, and decide whether every glyph type is used or just one. A live mode updates the result as you type, and a "Generate" button re-rolls a fresh corrupted version whenever you want. Everything runs in your browser, so your text never leaves your device.

What Is Zalgo Text?

Zalgo text - also called "cursed text" or "glitch text" - is digital text that has been overloaded with combining diacritical marks so it looks frightening, broken, or haunted. The name comes from a 2004 internet creepypasta about an eldritch corrupting entity named Zalgo; the visual style later fused with what Unicode combining characters can actually do, and the effect became a staple of horror, creepypasta, and "surreal" meme culture.

Today you will recognise it in Discord usernames, TikTok bios, Instagram captions, and spooky story posts. Although it looks like a rendering error, every character is valid, intentional Unicode - it is simply using the combining-mark system far beyond what any font was designed to handle gracefully.

How Does This Tool Work?

Normal accented letters are a base character plus one combining mark - for example, e + ́ (combining acute accent) makes é. Zalgo stacks dozens of these marks on the same letter instead of one. Each mark is a legitimate Unicode code point; the chaos is a side effect of piling them higher and lower than any normal line of text.

Our generator sorts the marks into three zones - above the letter, through the middle (overlay and strikethrough-style marks), and below the letter - and lets you toggle each zone. The chaos level sets how many marks get added to every character (a random number between your minimum and maximum). With Full craziness, each mark is picked at random from every zone; with Partial craziness, a single glyph type is repeated, giving a more uniform, patterned distortion.

Because the effect depends on your device's text engine, the exact height and legibility can vary between desktop browsers, iOS, and Android - that variability is part of the charm. Also note that combining marks count toward character limits on platforms such as Discord (32), Instagram (150), and TikTok (80), so keep longer Zalgo for places without tight limits.

Examples

Every example below loads its own text and options - click "Try it" to generate the cursed version in the "Output" field. (The output is randomized each time, so it will look a little different every click.)

1. Horror movie list

A multi-line list, fully crazy, damaged above and below, with spaces and newlines kept tidy.

Input
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Cabin in the Woods
A Quiet Place
Paranormal Activity
The Descent
Rec
Scream
Saw
The Shining

2. A creepy one-liner (kept readable)

A single quote, partial craziness, damaged only above, with a fixed number of marks so it stays legible.

Input
It's as much fun to scare as to be scared.

3. A spooky invocation

A short poem, fully crazy, damaged above, in the middle, and below for maximum overflow.

Input
To invoke the hive-mind representing chaos,
Invoke the feeling of disorder,
Without the order he will spawn into this world,
From a place of tortured glass,
He who waits behind the wall,
He who waits to end it all,
ZALGO!

4. A social-media handle and bio

A short username and bio, medium chaos, damaged above and below - the typical Discord or TikTok use case.

Input
Username: shadow_queen
Bio: just a haunted soul wandering the feed

5. A single word, maximum corruption

One word pushed to the extreme with the extended mark range turned on.

Input
ZALGO

6. A messy real-world sentence

Numbers and punctuation are skipped so only the letters get corrupted - handy when the text must still be readable.

Input
Meeting at 3:00 am bring the book! See you soon.

Features & Options

Input & Output: Type or paste your text on the left; the corrupted Zalgo result appears on the right, ready to copy or download.

Intensity presets (Light / Medium / Heavy): One click sets a sensible minimum/maximum chaos range. You can fine-tune the Min and Max numbers afterwards.

Chaos level (Min / Max): The number of combining marks added to each character is chosen at random between these two values. Bigger numbers mean more overflow.

Text damage area - Above / Middle / Below: Choose where the marks stack. "Above" and "Below" create the classic over/under bleed; "Middle" adds overlay and strikethrough-style marks through the letter.

Full vs Partial craziness: Full uses random glyphs from every zone for maximum noise; Partial repeats a single glyph type on each letter for a tidier, patterned look.

Skip spaces / newlines / punctuation / numbers: Keep those characters clean so the surrounding structure (and readability) survives the corruption. Spaces and newlines are skipped by default.

Extended mark range: Adds the larger Unicode combining-marks block for an even more extreme effect (rendering varies more between devices).

Live mode: When on, the output updates automatically as you type or change any option - no need to press Generate.

Generate / Clear / Copy / Download: "Generate Zalgo" re-rolls a fresh corrupted version; "Clear Everything" resets the fields; "Copy" and "Download" save the result.

When to Use Zalgo Text?

Create spooky Discord usernames, server names, and bios, or TikTok/Instagram captions with a haunted vibe.

Add atmosphere to horror stories, creepypasta, and Halloween posts without leaving your text editor.

Build surreal or "cursed" memes where the text itself looks like it is glitching out of reality.

Make a playful "corrupted" version of a quote or announcement for a game, stream, or event teaser.

FAQs

FAQ 1: Will this damage my device or account?
Answer: No. Zalgo text is ordinary Unicode - it cannot harm a device or platform. A few services with very tight limits may trim extremely long strings, but normal output is safe to paste anywhere that supports Unicode.

FAQ 2: Why does the same word look different each time?
Answer: The marks are chosen at random, so every "Generate" (and every live update) produces a new variation. That randomness is what gives Zalgo its corrupted, unpredictable feel.

FAQ 3: Can I keep my text readable?
Answer: Yes. Use a low chaos level, turn on "Partial craziness", and enable "Skip punctuation" and "Skip numbers". The letters get a subtle glitch while the structure stays intact.

FAQ 4: Why does it look different on my phone?
Answer: Each operating system and app renders stacking combining marks its own way. iOS, Android, and desktop browsers may show slightly different heights and legibility - that is expected, not an error.

FAQ 5: Is my text private?
Answer: Yes. The tool runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript. Your text is never uploaded to or stored on our servers.

FAQ 6: Why do spaces and newlines stay clean?
Answer: By default "Skip spaces" and "Skip newlines" are on, so the layout of your text is preserved. Turn them off if you want every character - including spaces - to be corrupted too.

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