The subscript converter turns ordinary text into small, lowered Unicode characters that sit below the baseline — the style used for the 2 in H₂O. Because these are real Unicode code points rather than a font setting, you can paste the result into chemical formulas, notes, and bios on platforms that lack rich-text formatting.
Why Unicode subscript, not a font
Rich-text editors like Microsoft Word can lower text via a subscript button that changes the font size and baseline shift — but the underlying character stays the same letter. Unicode subscript characters are different code points entirely, which means the lowered effect travels with a plain copy-paste into Markdown, Twitter bios, Discord names, Notion pages, and anywhere else that renders text but not rich-text formatting commands.
How it works
Each character is looked up in a table of Unicode subscript code points. All digits convert cleanly: 0→₀ (U+2080), 1→₁ (U+2081), 2→₂, through 9→₉. Unicode also defines subscript forms for a limited set of lowercase letters, for example a→ₐ (U+2090), e→ₑ, o→ₒ, and x→ₓ. Uppercase letters are folded to lowercase before lookup. Any character without a subscript equivalent passes through unchanged, so unsupported letters and punctuation stay readable.
What converts, and what does not
Unicode has subscript equivalents for all ten digits and a limited set of lowercase letters. The table below shows the ones you are most likely to need:
| Original | Subscript | Unicode point | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 | ₀–₉ | U+2080–U+2089 | Chemical formulas, footnotes |
| a | ₐ | U+2090 | Phonetics, math notation |
| e | ₑ | U+2091 | Math, chemistry |
| h | ₕ | U+2095 | Physics subscripts |
| i | ᵢ | U+1D62 | Matrix/vector indices |
| n | ₙ | U+2099 | Math notation |
| o | ₒ | U+2092 | Chemistry |
| x | ₓ | U+2093 | Math, variable subscripts |
Letters not in Unicode’s subscript set — including most consonants — pass through unchanged. This is a limitation of the Unicode standard, not a bug in the tool.
Common use cases and worked examples
Chemical formulas: H2SO4 becomes H₂SO₄, CO2 becomes CO₂. The digits all convert; the letter subscripts (where present) also convert.
Footnote markers in plain text: Note1 becomes Note₁ — a clean way to add a footnote reference in environments that do not support superscript, though conventional practice places footnote markers above the line (use the superscript converter for that).
Styled social bios: A username or tagline containing ₀₁₂ looks distinctive in a Twitter or Instagram bio where you cannot apply real formatting.
To raise characters above the baseline instead — for exponents, powers, or ordinals — use the companion superscript converter.