Learning how to cross out text in Discord takes only a few seconds, but this simple formatting option can make messages clearer, funnier, and more expressive. Discord calls crossed-out text “strikethrough.” It places a horizontal line through selected words while keeping them readable. People often use it to correct themselves, show that a task is complete, revise an earlier thought, or add playful sarcasm. You do not need a bot, browser extension, or special account permission to use it. Discord creates the effect through Markdown, a lightweight formatting system built into its messaging tools. In this guide, you will learn the exact characters to type, how the process works on desktop and mobile devices, and how to combine strikethrough with other text styles. You will also see practical examples, common mistakes, useful applications, and expert tips for keeping formatted messages easy to understand.
What Crossed-Out Text Means In Discord
Crossed-out text displays a line through a word, phrase, or sentence without removing it from the message. It usually suggests that the information has been replaced, corrected, completed, or included as a joke.
Discord produces this effect through Markdown characters. When two tilde symbols appear immediately before and after text, Discord interprets the enclosed content as strikethrough formatting rather than ordinary text.
The basic pattern is ~~your text~~. After you send the message, the tilde symbols disappear from view and a horizontal line appears through the words between them.
Strikethrough is different from deleting or editing a message. The original wording remains visible, allowing readers to see both the text and the intention behind crossing it out.
This feature works especially well for quick corrections, humorous comments, completed checklist items, changed plans, and outdated details that still provide useful context.
How To Cross Out Text In Discord Step By Step
The same basic method works in servers, direct messages, group conversations, and most standard Discord text fields. Follow these steps to format your message correctly.
- Open A Conversation: Select the server channel, group message, or direct message where you want to post crossed-out text.
- Click The Message Box: Place your cursor in the normal text entry field at the bottom of the conversation.
- Type Two Tildes: Enter two tilde symbols with no space between them.
- Add Your Message: Type the word, phrase, or sentence that should have a line through it.
- Close The Formatting: Add two more tilde symbols immediately after the final character of your selected text.
- Review The Pattern: Confirm that the message follows the form ~~crossed-out words~~ and that both pairs of tildes are present.
- Send The Message: Press Enter or tap the send button. Discord will convert the enclosed text into strikethrough formatting.
Crossing Out Discord Text On Different Devices
Discord uses the same Markdown structure across its major platforms, although finding the tilde key and entering symbols can differ by device.
1. Using Discord On Windows
Open Discord, select a conversation, and type two tildes before and after the desired words. On many Windows keyboards, the tilde shares a key with the grave accent near the upper-left corner. You may need to hold Shift while pressing that key.
2. Using Discord On Mac
The method on a Mac is identical: type ~~text~~ and send the message. Keyboard layouts vary by language and region, so the tilde may not always appear in the same position. Use your active keyboard layout’s tilde shortcut if the familiar key does not work.
3. Using The Discord Web App
Discord in a web browser recognizes the same Markdown syntax as the desktop application. Enter two tildes on both sides of your text, check the preview if one appears, and send it. No browser add-on or additional formatting tool is necessary.
4. Using Discord On Android
On Android, tap the message box and switch to the symbols section of your on-screen keyboard. Locate the tilde, enter it twice, type your text, and add another pair. Make sure your keyboard has not automatically inserted spaces between the symbols.
5. Using Discord On iPhone Or iPad
On an iPhone or iPad, open the symbols keyboard to find the tilde character. Type two tildes, add the intended message, and close it with two more. The formatting will appear after sending, even if the mobile editor shows only the raw symbols beforehand.
6. Editing A Message After Sending
If you forget the formatting, edit the existing message instead of reposting it. Add two tildes before and after the relevant text, save the edit, and Discord will apply the line. This is useful when correcting a long message without creating additional clutter.
Examples Of Crossed-Out Text In Discord
These examples show how strikethrough can communicate different meanings while keeping the original wording visible to everyone in the conversation.
1. Correcting A Simple Mistake
You could type We are meeting on ~~Thursday~~ Friday when a date changes. Crossing out the incorrect day preserves the correction’s context and draws attention to the replacement. For important plans, place the accurate information immediately after the crossed-out wording.
2. Revising A Number
A message such as The event starts at ~~8:00~~ 8:30 makes a schedule adjustment easy to spot. This approach works for times, prices, quantities, scores, and deadlines, although major updates should also be stated plainly to prevent readers from overlooking them.
3. Adding Playful Sarcasm
Strikethrough can reveal a humorous “hidden” thought, as in I am joining for the teamwork, ~~not the rewards~~. The crossed-out phrase remains readable, creating the joke. Use this style carefully because tone can be difficult to interpret in unfamiliar or professional communities.
4. Showing A Finished Task
Typing ~~Update the server rules~~ can show that an item has been completed. This is useful in casual planning channels where a dedicated task manager would be excessive. Add a completion note when several people need to know who finished the work or when it happened.
5. Updating An Earlier Plan
A message like Tonight we will play ~~Game A~~ Game B communicates a changed choice without hiding the previous plan. Readers who saw the earlier discussion can understand the transition quickly, while new readers can identify the current selection from the uncrossed text.
6. Crossing Out A Full Sentence
You can place the symbols around an entire sentence, such as ~~This session has been canceled.~~ Full-sentence formatting is helpful when a statement no longer applies but should remain documented. Follow it with a clear replacement so nobody assumes the crossed-out sentence is still current.
Practical Uses For Discord Strikethrough
Strikethrough is more than a decorative effect. Used thoughtfully, it can improve coordination, preserve context, and make fast-moving conversations easier to follow.
1. Tracking Completed Community Tasks
Moderators and community members can cross out finished tasks in short planning messages. The remaining uncrossed items become easier to identify, while completed work stays visible. For large projects, however, use a proper checklist or task system so responsibilities do not disappear in chat history.
2. Announcing Schedule Changes
Event organizers can cross out an old date or time and place the new information beside it. The visual contrast draws attention to the change. Because schedules can affect many members, repeat the correct detail clearly and consider posting a fresh announcement for significant updates.
3. Managing Gaming Plans
Teams can mark unavailable characters, abandoned strategies, or replaced game choices with strikethrough. This keeps the discussion’s development visible without requiring several explanatory messages. It works best for informal coordination where everyone is already following the conversation in real time.
4. Revising Poll Options
If an informal voting option becomes unavailable, crossing it out tells members that it is no longer valid while preserving the original list. Include a short reason for the change, particularly if people have already voted, so the adjustment appears transparent rather than arbitrary.
5. Creating Humorous Messages
Many Discord users apply strikethrough to jokes, mock corrections, and deliberately revealed thoughts. It can make a sentence feel conversational and expressive. Humor should remain appropriate for the server, and the uncrossed meaning should still be clear enough to avoid accidental confusion or offense.
6. Preserving Correction History
Crossing out old information can show what changed without removing the original statement. This is useful when the history itself matters, such as a revised estimate or changing decision. Do not rely on it for sensitive records, formal approvals, or information that requires dependable version tracking.
Common Discord Strikethrough Mistakes To Avoid
Most formatting failures come from missing characters, misplaced spaces, or conflicts with other Markdown. Checking the raw pattern usually reveals the problem quickly.
1. Using Only One Tilde
A single tilde on each side does not create Discord strikethrough. You need two before the text and two after it. If the symbols remain visible once the message is sent, count them carefully and edit the message to restore the missing character.
2. Forgetting The Closing Pair
Opening the format with two tildes but failing to close it prevents the intended result. Always place another matching pair after the final word. This mistake is common in long messages, especially when the crossed-out portion ends near punctuation or another formatting style.
3. Adding Unwanted Spaces
Extra spaces between the tilde symbols and the selected words may lead to inconsistent results or include spacing you did not intend. Keep the markers directly against the content, using the simple pattern ~~text~~. Spaces inside a multiword phrase are completely acceptable.
4. Crossing Out Too Much Content
Large blocks of crossed-out writing are tiring to read and can hide the actual point. Strikethrough works best for a focused correction, update, joke, or completed item. If most of a message is outdated, edit or replace it and summarize the change in clear language.
5. Assuming It Deletes Information
A line through text does not conceal, erase, or secure it. Everyone with access to the conversation can still read the words. Never use strikethrough as a privacy measure for personal data, spoilers, passwords, or information that should not have been posted.
6. Combining Markdown Incorrectly
Strikethrough can work with bold, italic, and other styles, but mismatched formatting markers can produce unexpected output. Build the message carefully and ensure every opening marker has a closing partner. Test a complicated combination in a private conversation before using it publicly.
Best Practices For Discord Crossed-Out Text
Good formatting should clarify a message rather than make readers decode it. These practices keep strikethrough useful, accessible, and appropriate.
1. Keep The Crossed-Out Portion Short
Limit strikethrough to the exact words that changed or carry the joke. A short phrase is easier to scan than a full crossed-out paragraph. When extensive information becomes obsolete, replace the message or provide a concise updated version instead of marking every line.
2. Place Correct Information Nearby
When correcting a date, name, time, or instruction, write the replacement immediately beside the crossed-out content. Readers should not have to search another message for the valid detail. Clear proximity is especially important in announcement channels and conversations with frequent activity.
3. Consider The Conversation Tone
A sarcastic crossed-out phrase may be funny among friends but confusing in a support, education, or workplace server. Match the style to the community and audience. When accuracy matters more than personality, use direct wording and reserve strikethrough for unmistakable corrections.
4. Add Context To Important Changes
Strikethrough shows that something changed, but it does not explain why. Add a brief note when the reason matters, such as a delayed event, unavailable option, or corrected rule. Context reduces repeated questions and helps members trust that they have the latest information.
5. Check Mobile Readability
Text effects can look more crowded on a small screen, particularly when bold, italics, emojis, and strikethrough appear together. Preview complicated messages when possible and simplify them if the main point becomes difficult to scan. Important instructions should remain readable without decorative formatting.
6. Use A Clearer Tool When Needed
Strikethrough is convenient for casual updates, but it is not a replacement for task tracking, version history, moderation logs, or formal records. Choose a structured tool when assignments, accountability, or permanent documentation matters. Chat formatting should support the process, not carry it alone.
Combining Strikethrough With Other Discord Formatting
Once you know the basic syntax, you can combine crossed-out text with other Markdown styles. Use combinations selectively so the message remains easy to read.
1. Combining Strikethrough And Bold
Bold strikethrough makes a correction or canceled item especially noticeable. Place the appropriate bold markers and tilde markers around the same content, ensuring that both sets close correctly. Because the result is visually strong, reserve it for short, genuinely important text.
2. Combining Strikethrough And Italics
Italic strikethrough can create a softer aside, correction, or humorous internal thought. It is less visually forceful than a bold combination but may become difficult to read on small displays. Test the result and avoid using it for essential instructions or detailed information.
3. Formatting Only Part Of A Sentence
You do not need to cross out the entire message. Place the tildes only around the obsolete or playful phrase, then continue typing normally. Partial formatting usually communicates revisions more effectively because readers can compare the old wording with the valid statement in one line.
4. Using Strikethrough In Lists
Strikethrough can mark individual list entries as completed or unavailable. Apply it separately to each relevant item instead of enclosing the whole list. This makes unfinished items stand out and allows you to update the message gradually as tasks, choices, or event requirements change.
5. Showing Literal Tilde Symbols
Sometimes you may want people to see the formatting characters rather than the rendered effect, particularly when teaching the syntax. Discord’s handling can vary with surrounding Markdown, so preview the message carefully. Plain explanatory wording can also prevent the example from being interpreted automatically.
6. Keeping Nested Formatting Balanced
When multiple styles overlap, every formatting marker needs a logical opening and closing position. Enter one complete style around the intended text before adding another. If the result breaks, remove the extra styling, confirm that strikethrough works alone, and then rebuild the combination gradually.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Is The Shortcut For Strikethrough In Discord?
The most reliable method is to type two tilde symbols before and after the text, following the pattern ~~text~~. Discord converts the enclosed words after you send the message. Some interfaces may offer formatting controls, but Markdown works consistently across common desktop, browser, and mobile versions.
2. Why Is My Discord Strikethrough Not Working?
Check that you used exactly two tildes at both ends and did not forget the closing pair. Unwanted spaces or conflicting Markdown markers may also cause trouble. Edit the message, reduce it to the basic ~~text~~ pattern, and add any extra formatting afterward.
3. Can I Cross Out Text In The Discord Mobile App?
Yes. Open the symbols area of your mobile keyboard, type two tildes, enter your message, and finish with two more tildes. Send the message normally. Android and iOS keyboards arrange symbols differently, but Discord uses the same strikethrough syntax on both platforms.
4. Can I Cross Out More Than One Word?
Yes. Place the opening pair of tildes before the first word and the closing pair after the last word. All words and spaces inside those markers will be crossed out. You can format a phrase, a sentence, or several lines, although shorter selections are easier to read.
5. Does Strikethrough Hide Text From Other Users?
No. Crossed-out text remains fully visible and readable to anyone who can access the message. It only changes the visual presentation. Delete sensitive content instead of crossing it out, and remember that other users may already have seen or recorded information posted in a channel.
6. Can Discord Strikethrough Be Combined With Bold Text?
Yes. Discord allows strikethrough to be combined with bold and several other Markdown effects. Make sure each style has complete opening and closing markers. Use combined formatting sparingly, because excessive symbols and visual effects can make messages harder to scan, especially on mobile devices.
Conclusion
Crossing out text in Discord is a straightforward way to show corrections, revised plans, completed tasks, or playful thoughts. Type two tildes immediately before the selected text and two immediately after it, then send the message. The same method works on desktop, web, Android, iPhone, and iPad.
For the clearest results, keep crossed-out sections brief, place replacement information nearby, and consider the tone of the conversation. Strikethrough is most effective when it adds useful context without overwhelming the message. A quick check of the tilde pairs will solve most formatting problems.