Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Zalgo text
open-in-new
<p>Zalgo text, also known as cursed text or glitch text, is digital text that has been modified with numerous <a href="/facts/Combining_character/nH8SFbIL">combining characters</a>, <a href="/facts/Unicode/DDu3MfPV">Unicode</a> symbols used to add <a href="/facts/Diacritic/Rw6lMzQW">diacritics</a> above or below letters, to appear frightening or <a href="/facts/Glitch/T7CgRAwP">glitchy</a>. </p><p>Named for a 2004 Internet <a href="/facts/Creepypasta/t2k5fBKY">creepypasta</a> story that ascribes it to the influence of an eldritch deity, Zalgo text has become a significant component of many <a href="/facts/Internet_meme/f1fL5oT3">Internet memes</a>, particularly in the "surreal meme" culture. The formatting of Zalgo text also allows it to be used to halt or impair certain computer functions, whether intentionally or not. </p>