Superscript Generator

Our superscript generator will transform any text into superscript font in an instant. Are you trying to type an equation, format a chemical formula, or create an aesthetic post on social media? Fret not, we’re here to help!

Keep reading to discover:

• Exactly what a superscript is and how superscript symbols work;
• How to do a superscript in various settings;
• How to use superscripts effectively, be it in academia or the sciences.

The definition of a superscript is pretty simple and straightforward — it’s any text that is written in small characters, usually around 50% to 75% of the size of the surrounding font, floating above the middle of the line.

But in professional typography, it’s not only about dimensions. To ensure that any piece of text looks neat and consistent, typographers carefully craft superscripts to be a little bit heavier and proportionally wider, such that the font doesn’t “disappear” against the background.

To learn more about the technical side of superscripts, head to our dedicated article on the definition of superscript characters.

There are two ways to write a superscript:

• Whenever possible, you can use a built-in function of your text editor to shrink selected characters automatically.

  This method allows you to shrink virtually any text, but it does not preserve the tiny font when pasted into a plain-text environment or one that doesn't support superscript formatting.

• You can use a superscript font generator that will give you unique Unicode characters that stay small no matter where you paste them (as long as Unicode is supported). Nevertheless, only a handful of characters have a Unicode superscript version. But more on this in the next section.

Different text editors have different shortcuts and ways to apply superscript formatting. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

• In Google Docs, select your text and press Ctrl + . (Windows) or Cmd + . (Mac).
• In Microsoft Word, use the dedicated x² button in the Home tab, within Font settings. You can also use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + + (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + + (Mac).

More on this in our guide on how to do a superscript.

Our superscript font generator is very easy to use:

• Insert your text in the input field.
• Enjoy your superscript symbols!
• You can also expand the Subscript generator section if you want to generate the same text in subscript.

Please note that the characters that don’t exist in superscript will be left as regular characters.

Why do only some characters have a superscript version?

Great question! Why can we format anything as a subscript in Word, but Unicode is limited only to the alphabet, the nine digits, and a few symbols?

Superscript generators (like the one you see on this page) don’t format text like text editors do. They give you unique characters, different from the standard alphabet characters, that conserve their size and shape no matter where they’re used (provided Unicode is supported).

Let’s say that you’ve typed the Pythagorean theorem in Word: $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$. If you pasted it into a plain-text field, you would see a flat a2 + b2 = c2 due to the loss of metadata that told the twos to reduce their size and stay floating above the main line.

If you want those characters to always stay in their superscript form, you have to copy their Unicode characters: $a² + b² = c²$.

You see, when creating superscript symbols, the Unicode Consortium didn’t think it necessary to make all standard characters available in superscript. These were designed mainly for the sciences, where superscript font is most commonly used; so, if a character was not really used much in math or chemistry, it never received its superscript counterpart. If we were to create superscript and subscript versions of all available characters, we would end up with thousands of new characters. That’s a lot of unnecessary work, seeing that most of them would never see the light of day.

Whether you’re using a native superscript setting in a text editor or a superscript font generator, you’re probably wondering: “When do I use superscripts?”

Superscripts are most commonly used within scientific domains. Let’s explore the different uses.

Chemistry, maths, and physics

In chemistry, superscripts are primarily used to denote the charge of an ion — a molecule with an unequal number of protons and electrons. The charge appears after the molecular formula, and is positive when electrons are lost, and negative when they are gained. For example, a calcium atom that has lost two electrons will be written as $\text{Ca}^{2+}$.

Within nuclear physics, superscripts are placed before symbols to denote the atomic mass of isotopes, such as $^{14}\text C$ for Carbon-14.

Math is the easiest one: superscripts are most commonly employed to write exponents, like in the Pythagorean theorem, which we’ve already seen, or in a quadratic equation: $ax^2 + bx +c = 0$.

Academic citations

If you’ve ever seen or written an academic paper, you know that referencing sources is crucial. While it’s not the case for all referencing styles, some use superscript numbers to refer to footnotes, endnotes, or bibliography entries. For instance:

• When using the Chicago referencing style, you must place a number in superscript immediately after a reference sentence, corresponding to a footnote at the bottom of the page.
• In AMA (American Medical Association), superscripts refer directly to a comprehensive reference list located at the end of the paper.