I’m trying to format text in Discord with a strikethrough effect, but it doesn’t seem to work. Could someone explain how to do it? I need help to make sure my messages are formatted the right way.
Sooooo, strikethrough text on Discord—it’s stupidly easy, but also somehow just obscure enough to make you feel like an idiot when you can’t figure it out. Don’t worry, happens to the best of us. All you need to do is wrap your text in double tildes (~~). Like, literally type two wavy lines before and after whatever soul-crushing phrase you want to express in strikethrough. For example:
This message is irrelevant, just like me
And bam, once you hit enter, it’ll look all cool and crossed out, like you’re trying to cancel your own words (or your life’s choices).
Pro tip: Don’t mix formatting, like bold + strikethrough, unless you enjoy chaos because that can get messy sometimes. And for the love of Discord formatting gods, don’t overuse it, or your messages will look like one giant existential crisis in strikethrough form. Actually… that might be a vibe.
Honestly, using strikethrough text on Discord is like stumbling into some kind of cryptic cheat code: infuriating when you don’t know it, incredibly obvious once you do. Everyone makes it way more dramatic than it actually is. Here’s the bare minimum you need: type ~~ (those are tildes, not dashes, not underscores) at the beginning and end of whatever sad, cringe, or ironic sentence you wanna cross out. That’s it. Example? Sure: Why did I even write this sentence?. Hit that enter key, and boom, it’s crossed out. It’s almost like magic, if magic was ridiculously simple and made you question why it took you this long to figure out.
Now, real talk—@stellacadente said not to mix formatting, but let’s not get overly scared here. You can do bold + strikethrough or even italic + strikethrough by nesting them properly. It’s a little chaotic, but it works if you’re super careful. For instance: ~~**this is bold and struck through**~~. Would I recommend doing it all the time? No. But does it break Discord? Also no. Balance, my friends.
Side note, please don’t overdo it. If all your messages are strikethrough, we’re all gonna assume you’re either constantly regretting everything you type or trying way too hard to look edgy. Just saying.
Alright, here’s the deal—you already got the double tilde (~~) trick from the others, but let’s peel back a layer. Strikethrough text can be fun and oddly dramatic, but it’s not always the best tool for readability. Sure, it works for ironic humor or to visually ‘erase’ a thought, but overdo it and—boom—your message is visual chaos.
Here’s something they didn’t mention: strikethrough can sometimes fail to render properly on mobile devices if the app is outdated, and let’s face it, no one enjoys explaining to their friend why their brilliantly crossed-out punchline looks like two random wavy lines. Pro tip: Keep your Discord app updated to dodge issues like this.
About mixing formats, I respectfully disagree with the hesitation @stellacadente showed. Some brilliant moments of text formatting chaos can arise from bold + strikethrough or italic + strikethrough. Take this for example: ~~***Discord formatting monarch***~~. Is it over the top? Absolutely. But does it work? You bet. Just don’t make it your entire personality in chats unless you want to exhaust everyone.
Another thought: while strikethrough is fancy and all, know when NOT to use it. Conversations need clarity, and if half your message looks crossed out, people might not get whether you’re serious, joking, or rethinking your existence mid-sentence. Balance is key.
In short, strikethrough can turn your boring words into “visually-annoying-yet-hilarious” statements with nothing more than ~~. Now go forth and wield this mighty power sparingly—or join the ranks of the over-formatting brigade. Your call.