U+200B, not a visual guess
ZERO WIDTH SPACE has no standalone glyph in ordinary text. A value such as North + U+200B + Star may look like one word or two depending on the surrounding renderer. The code point is the stable fact.
Find one invisible code point
Zero Width Space Detector
Use a zero width space detector to find ZERO WIDTH SPACE (U+200B) in copied text, see exactly where it occurs, and review a clean copy without changing your original input.
Private in-browser inspection One code point, clear positions Original text stays intact
Check for U+200B Private browser tool
Find U+200B in pasted text
The original stays in this browser tab. The detector counts ZERO WIDTH SPACE, shows its positions, and keeps cleanup as a separate copy.
Up to 5,000 Unicode code points. The source is not edited.
0 / 5,000Start with the exact value
What a zero width space detector checks
This page focuses on one code point instead of guessing from how a font renders a string. The checker looks for U+200B, counts each occurrence, and gives you positions that can be compared with the source text or an application log.
Positions and count
The result counts positions by Unicode code point, starting at one. That makes repeated U+200B values easier to locate even when the input also contains emoji or supplementary characters.
Separate cleanup
Inspection never rewrites the textarea. When removal is appropriate, the tool creates a clean copy that removes only U+200B so you can compare it with the original first.
A repeatable text workflow
How to find and remove U+200B
- 1
Paste the original string
Copy the text from the field, document, code, or export where the issue appears. Do not normalize it before scanning; normalization can change the evidence you are trying to inspect.
- 2
Inspect the code point
Select Inspect U+200B. The visible preview places a safe label around every match, while the report keeps the one-based positions and UTF-8 byte count available for debugging.
- 3
Review before cleaning
Use Copy clean text only after you know that U+200B is unwanted in your context. Keep the source and test the cleaned copy in the target editor, parser, search field, or database.
Why the exact value matters
What U+200B can change in copied text
A zero width space is easy to overlook because it has no ordinary visible width. Depending on the application, however, two strings that look alike may compare differently when one contains U+200B. A search box may fail to match the expected text, a form validator may count an unexpected code point, or a copied identifier may not equal the value in a database.
The effect depends on the software and the task. Some text layout systems use U+200B as an optional line-break opportunity. Removing it may make a copied label match another value, but it can also change how a long word wraps. That is why this detector reports evidence and offers an optional separate copy rather than editing the source while you inspect it.
In a code review, an unexpected mark can explain a confusing comparison or test failure. In ordinary prose, the same mark may have been inserted intentionally for layout. First identify the code point and the position, then reproduce the issue in the editor, parser, or field where it matters.
A reproducible identifier
How to write a zero width space in code
The U+200B notation names the Unicode code point. In source code, an escaped form can make the otherwise invisible value visible to another developer during review.
JavaScript string
const sample = "North\\u200BStar";Check one code point
Array.from(sample).includes("\\u200B")Visible notation
North + U+200B + StarThe first example contains an escape sequence in source code; when JavaScript evaluates it, the string contains the actual U+200B value. The detector checks the evaluated text you paste, not the six visible escape characters. If you paste the literal backslash-u sequence, the tool correctly reports no zero-width space in that text.
Positions on this page count Unicode code points from one. This can differ from a language or editor that reports UTF-16 offsets from zero. For text containing supplementary characters such as many emoji, verify which indexing convention your program uses before comparing offsets.
Do not mix similar values
Zero width space vs other invisible characters
Several Unicode values can be hard to see, but their code points and behavior differ. Check the exact value before you remove or replace it.
| Value | Name | Typical effect | Page action |
|---|---|---|---|
U+200B | ZERO WIDTH SPACE | Invisible break opportunity; can affect matching and copied text. | Detect and optionally remove in a separate copy. |
U+00A0 | NO-BREAK SPACE | Looks like a space but prevents a line break between neighbors. | Use the broad Unicode Character Checker. |
U+2060 | WORD JOINER | Invisible word-joining behavior without a normal break. | Inspect the exact code point before changing it. |
U+FEFF | BYTE ORDER MARK | Often identifies encoding at the start of a file; legacy text may call it zero width no-break space. | Check file encoding and keep the original available. |
Privacy and scope
What this U+200B checker can and cannot tell you
The text is processed by JavaScript in your browser. The detector does not upload the textarea, store it in an account, or call a text-cleaning API. It reports a code point and its locations so you can make the application-specific decision.
Finding U+200B does not identify who added it, prove that text was generated by AI, or show that a document is unsafe. Fonts, editors, scripts, and line-breaking rules can make the same value look different. Keep the original text and verify the result where it will be used.
For a wider scan of spaces, directional controls, combining marks, and other Unicode values, use the Unicode character checker. For a selected set of common hidden marks with optional cleanup, open the hidden character detector.
Questions about U+200B
Zero width space detector FAQ
What is a zero width space?
A zero width space is Unicode code point U+200B, named ZERO WIDTH SPACE. It can create a break opportunity without drawing a visible space, so copied text may look normal while comparisons, search, or validation behave differently.
How do I find a zero width space in text?
Paste the exact text into this zero width space detector and select Inspect U+200B. The result counts every U+200B and lists its one-based code point positions. The visible preview replaces the invisible value with a safe [U+200B] label.
Can I copy a zero width space?
You can copy the original text from your source, but an invisible character is hard to verify by sight. Use the sample and report controls here to confirm that U+200B exists. The detector also offers a clean copy with only U+200B removed.
Is U+200B the same as a no-break space or a BOM?
No. U+200B is ZERO WIDTH SPACE. U+00A0 is NO-BREAK SPACE and normally occupies visible space, while U+FEFF is BYTE ORDER MARK (and is sometimes called zero width no-break space in legacy text). They have different code points and different behavior.
Does removing zero width spaces make text safe?
Not automatically. Removing U+200B may fix a copy, search, or validation issue, but it can also remove an intentional line-break opportunity in a script or document. Keep the original and check the cleaned copy in the application where it will be used.
Does this tool upload my text?
No. Counting and previewing happen in your browser. The tool does not send the text to an API or save it in an account. The page reports the character it finds; it does not decide why the character is present.
Unicode reference
Verify the character name and line-break behavior
This page identifies U+200B using its Unicode code point. For standards-level details, consult the Unicode code charts and line-breaking specification. These references explain the encoded character and its layout role; they cannot tell you whether a specific occurrence is unwanted in your text.
Unicode General Punctuation code chartUnicode Line Breaking Algorithm (UAX #14)