This does not hide a different message inside the word. The letters are still the letters. Many forms delete U+200B, and the page says that.
How to use
- Type a short word, up to 200 characters.
- Press Insert. The first line is the word you can read. The second line carries the zero-width spaces.
- Reset restores Hello.
Formula / how it works
Where the character goes. A five-letter word has four gaps. One U+200B is placed in each gap and nowhere else. Hi has one gap, so one space is inserted, and the count line says 1. There is no space before the first letter and none after the last. The character has no width in fonts that implement it, which is why the second line can look identical to the first until you paste it somewhere that reveals or strips non-printing characters.
What it is not. It is not a blank name made of a different phrase, and it is not a trick to make a filter see one word while a person sees another. The visible source line is the entire message. If a site removes U+200B, you are left with that source. The remove formatting tool strips marks you can see. It is not aimed at this code point. If you need the original word, copy the visible source line, not the second line.
Selection. Triple-clicking the second line may or may not include the zero-width spaces, depending on the browser. The count of inserted spaces is the reliable check: it should be one less than the number of characters you typed, for a single run of letters. A space you typed yourself is a normal space and also receives a zero-width neighbour, because every character, including a space, is separated from the next.
Selecting the output and pasting it into a plain-text editor often shows the letters jammed together, which is the point of a zero width. Pasting into a word processor may reveal a mark or may drop it. If the destination drops it, you are back to the visible source, which the result also prints so you are not stuck. Count the inserted spaces: a five-letter word gets four of them, one in each gap, and none before the first letter or after the last.
Developers sometimes want a break in a string that must not become a normal space, for example between a prefix and a word in a label that a layout already separates. U+200B is one such break. It is a poor choice in a password, in a username, and in any string a person must retype from memory, because they cannot see it and they cannot guess it. If the destination is a password field, do not insert it. The visible source line is what a person can type again. Prefer that line whenever a human has to reproduce the text later.
Worked examples
Hello, four gaps
Inputs: Text: Hello
Leave the text as Hello and press Insert. Five characters, four zero-width spaces.
Result: Visible source: Hello
With zero-width spaces: Hello
Characters you typed: 5
Zero-width spaces inserted: 4
U+200B sits between letters and has no width. Many forms delete it. It is not a way to hide a different message. The letters are still the letters you typed.
Hi, one gap
Inputs: Text: Hi
Change the text to Hi and press Insert. Two characters, one zero-width space.
Result: Visible source: Hi
With zero-width spaces: Hi
Characters you typed: 2
Zero-width spaces inserted: 1
U+200B sits between letters and has no width. Many forms delete it. It is not a way to hide a different message. The letters are still the letters you typed.
Use cases
- Seeing how many invisible spaces a word would carry.
- Keeping the readable word next to the spaced copy.
- Checking a short string before a form that may delete U+200B.
- Explaining that the letters did not change.
Tips & limitations
- Copy the visible source if the destination strips the gaps.
- The count of spaces is one less than the character count for a single word.
- Do not use this to disguise a different message.
- 200 characters is the cap.
FAQ
Does the word change?
No. The letters stay in order. Only U+200B is added between them.
Why might a form show the plain word?
Many forms delete U+200B. You then have the visible source, which is also printed.
Can I hide one word inside another?
No. The only letters are the ones you typed. Nothing else is encoded.
How many spaces does Hello get?
Four, one in each gap between five letters.
Is there a space before the first letter?
No. Gaps are only between characters.
Is the text uploaded?
No. The spaces are inserted in the browser.
Runs entirely in your browser; your text is not uploaded. Counts and scores are heuristics, so review the output before you publish it.