Alex Ruben
How To Create Strikethrough Text in WhatsApp
Strikethrough text can add emphasis or help fix typos in your WhatsApp chats, making your messages a bit more lively. Whether you’re on iPhone or Android, this little trick works pretty much the same. But, honestly, figuring out the syntax can be kinda weird at first, especially if you’re used to regular formatting options.
Prerequisites
First off, make sure you’ve got the latest version of WhatsApp installed. You can snag it from the official WhatsApp site or your app store. Also, an internet connection is kinda essential, because of course, WhatsApp has to make it harder than necessary sometimes.
Step 1: Open WhatsApp and Pick a Chat
Fire up WhatsApp and head to whatever chat you want to send that fancy strikethrough message. Nothing special here, just open your usual conversations.
Step 2: Tap on the Message Input Area
Tap on the message field so your keyboard comes up. This is where the magic begins.
Step 3: Switch to the Symbols Keyboard
Tap on the 123 button to jump over to the numbers and symbols. Here’s where it gets a bit tricky — not all keyboard layouts are the same, so on some devices you might see different layouts or extra options.
Step 4: Find the Tilde (~) Symbol
Look for the #=+ or sometimes a third-party keyboard menu—tapping that shows more symbols. The tilde (~) isn’t usually on the main symbols page. If you’re on a more typical Android or iPhone, you may need to explore a little. Sometimes, you find it in the extended symbols list; sometimes, you don’t, which is where frustration kicks in. A workaround: you can copy the tilde from somewhere else (like this: U+007E tilde info) and paste it in. Because of course, WhatsApp doesn’t have a built-in toggle for strikethrough, just the syntax.
Step 5: Type Your Text Wrapped in Tildes
Type the message with tildes on both sides. For example, if you want to strike through “mistake,” type ~mistake~. The visual appearance as strikethrough only shows up when you send the message, kinda weird, but that’s how it works.
Step 6: Send It Off
Hit send. The message will appear with a line through the text. Weirdly enough, the tildes themselves aren’t visible, just the formatting. On some setups, the formatting might not always work first time — sometimes you need to double-check you’ve got both tildes in there.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
Here’s the thing — if it doesn’t turn out right, check you’re actually using the tilde character, not some other similar symbol. Also, not every device or keyboard layout handles this the same way. Many times, just copying and pasting the tilde from a website or note makes it easier. On some setups, the text might not display as strikethrough until you re-send or restart the app. Not sure why it works sometimes and not others, but that’s life.
Conclusion
So, basically: find that tilde character, put it around your text, and go. Doesn’t seem like much, but if you’ve been missing this feature, it makes your messages way more expressive. Just keep messing around with the symbols — eventually, it clicks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use strikethrough on WhatsApp Web?
Nope, this trick only works on the mobile app. WhatsApp Web doesn’t support the tilde styling at the moment, so if you want strikethrough, gotta use the phone version.
Are there other ways to format text?
For sure. You can bold *text* or italics _text_. But if you’re after strikethrough, this tilde method is the only game in town.
Why does my strikethrough not show up?
This is usually because of either using the wrong symbol or missing one of the tildes. Just double-check that you’ve got both, and sometimes retyping the message helps. Sometimes, a quick app restart fixes weird display glitches too.
Summary
- Find or copy a tilde (
~) character - Wrap your message in tildes like
~your message~ - Send and see the strikethrough appear (hopefully)
- Hoo boy, keyboard layouts can make this annoying
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Just something that worked on multiple machines, so maybe it helps you too.