How italic text works without formatting
Apps like Instagram, LinkedIn and X strip formatting, so you can't select a word and press italic. This tool swaps each letter for a slanted lookalike from Unicode, the shared set of characters every device can show. The slant travels with the text wherever you paste it.
Serif italic has one gap: there's no italic h in the maths block, so the tool uses ℎ (the symbol for Planck's constant), which looks almost the same.
When to use italics
Italics work best for small touches, the way you'd use them in print:
- The title of a book, film, album or podcast.
- A short quote or a thought in someone's voice.
- One word you want to stress, like “I 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 mean it”.
- A soft aside under your name in a bio.
Things to know first
Unicode has no italic numbers, so digits stay upright. Accented letters, emoji and other alphabets stay as typed too.
Screen readers may spell italic letters out or read them as maths symbols, and search won't match them to plain words. Keep names, keywords and anything important in plain text, and use italics for flavour.
Apps with their own italics
Where an app has real formatting, use it instead. In WhatsApp, put underscores around a word (_italic_). In Discord, Slack and Reddit, use one star (*italic*). Email, Google Docs and most websites have an italic button.
Frequently asked questions
How do I italicise text on Instagram?
Instagram has no italic button. Type your text here, copy the italic version and paste it into your caption, bio or comment.
Can I use italics in a LinkedIn post?
Not with formatting, but you can paste italic Unicode letters. Make the text here, copy it and paste it into your post. Use it for a few words, not whole paragraphs.
Why don't numbers turn italic?
Unicode never added italic digits, only letters. Numbers stay upright in every italic style.
What's the difference between italic and cursive?
Italic letters are slanted versions of normal letters. Cursive (script) letters are drawn like handwriting, with loops and flourishes.