The eight characters on offer
The tool lists eight Unicode characters that print as blank or nearly blank, with a Copy button for each. You can also copy up to 100 repeats of the selected one, and a test box shows the character between square brackets so you can see whether it takes up any width. If the brackets touch, the character is zero-width.
| Name | Code point | Unicode category | Width | Removed by JavaScript trim()? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hangul Filler | U+3164 | Letter (Lo) | Wide blank | No |
| Zero-Width Space | U+200B | Format (Cf) | None | No |
| Non-Breaking Space | U+00A0 | Space (Zs) | Normal space | Yes |
| Braille Pattern Blank | U+2800 | Symbol (So) | One braille cell | No |
| Word Joiner | U+2060 | Format (Cf) | None | No |
| Zero-Width No-Break Space | U+FEFF | Format (Cf) | None | Yes |
| Ideographic Space | U+3000 | Space (Zs) | Full-width | Yes |
| Six-Per-Em Space | U+2006 | Space (Zs) | One sixth of an em | Yes |
The last column was checked by running each character through the JavaScript string trim operation. It matters because many sign-up forms trim a name and reject it if nothing is left. Characters in the space category are whitespace and get removed. The format characters (apart from U+FEFF), the Hangul letter and the braille symbol are not whitespace, so they survive a trim and count as a real, if invisible, name.
Why different characters exist
- U+200B marks an optional line-break point inside long words or URLs.
- U+2060 does the opposite: it forbids a break.
- U+FEFF is the byte order mark at the start of some text files, which appears as the three bytes EF BB BF in UTF-8.
- U+3164 is a placeholder used when composing Korean syllables, and U+2800 is the braille cell with no dots raised.
Limits and common problems
- Platforms decide. Services that block blank names do it by character, by category, or both, and the rules change over time. If one character is rejected, try another from the list.
- Each character still counts. A zero-width space adds 1 to a UTF-16 length and 3 bytes in UTF-8, so it can use up character limits invisibly. The character counter will show it.
- Stray ones cause real bugs. A hidden space pasted into code, a URL, a password or a spreadsheet cell makes values that look identical compare as different, and cells that look empty are not.
- Do not use them to deceive. Impersonating other users with blank or look-alike names usually breaks platform rules.
For styled letters instead of blanks, try the fancy text generator.