How monospace text works
Monospace letters all take up the same width, like an old typewriter or a code editor. Unicode includes a complete monospace alphabet and digits in the Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols block (U+1D670βU+1D6A3), originally for mathematical notation, which is why ππππ keeps its typewriter look when pasted into Instagram or X.
For code, use the real thing instead: Discord, Slack, Reddit and GitHub render `backticks` as true monospace that stays copyable and searchable. Use Unicode monospace where no formatting exists, such as bios, display names and captions.
Styles on this page
- Monospace β Typewriter look, every letter the same width. Works almost everywhere
- Vaporwave wide β Fullwidth forms from East Asian typesetting. Works almost everywhere
- Spaced out β Plain letters with spaces β screen-reader unfriendly. Works almost everywhere
- Plain sans β Looks almost normal β but it is not ASCII. Works almost everywhere
- Small caps β Phonetic letters; κ° and κ± missing on some older phones. Works on most devices
Curious why these letters are not a real font? See how Unicode styles work, step by step.
Questions
What is the difference between monospace and typewriter text?
They are the same idea. Typewriters gave every letter the same width, and βtypewriter fontβ is the everyday name for a monospace font such as Courier.
How do I write monospace in Discord or WhatsApp?
Discord: wrap text in single backticks, `like this`. WhatsApp: wrap it in three backticks, ```like this```. Both use the appβs own monospace font.
Does monospace text count double on X?
Yes. Mathematical monospace letters are outside the ranges X counts as one, so each one uses two of your 280 characters.
Will search engines read monospace text?
Usually not. πππ is a different set of characters from cat, so keep names and keywords in plain letters.