How superscript works
Superscript digits ⁰¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹ are among the best-supported special characters on the web: ¹, ² and ³ date back to the Latin-1 character set of the 1980s. Use them for exponents (m², 10⁶), footnote marks and ordinals.
Superscript letters come from phonetic notation and cover everything except q. Subscript works for chemistry (H₂O, CO₂) but has no b, c, d, f, g, q, w, y or z.
Styles on this page
- Superscript — No superscript q exists in common fonts. Works on most devices
- Subscript — Unicode has no subscript b, c, d, f, g, q, w, y, z. Hit-and-miss
- Small caps — Phonetic letters; ꜰ and ꜱ 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
How do I type a superscript 2?
Type 2 in the box and copy ². On Windows you can also hold Alt and type 0178 on the number pad; on a Mac, use the Character Viewer.
Why do ¹ ² ³ look different from ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ on some screens?
¹²³ live in the old Latin-1 block while ⁴–⁹ live in a later superscripts block, so some fonts draw them at slightly different sizes or heights.
Can I write chemical formulas?
Yes — subscript digits are complete, so H₂SO₄ and C₆H₁₂O₆ work anywhere.