How to Cross Out Text in Discord and Other Text Formatting

Text formatting transforms ordinary Discord conversations into rich, expressive communication. With over 150 million monthly active users and 19 million active servers as of 2023, Discord has evolved beyond gaming into a communication hub for communities of all types – making text formatting skills increasingly valuable.

This comprehensive guide focuses on crossing out text in Discord (strikethrough formatting) while covering the complete spectrum of text formatting options. You‘ll discover not just how to use these features, but when and why they matter for effective communication.

The Evolution of Text Formatting in Discord

Discord launched in 2015 with basic Markdown support and has progressively enhanced its formatting capabilities. According to Discord‘s development history, strikethrough text wasn‘t part of the original release but was added in 2016 after significant user requests. Today, Discord‘s text formatting system has matured into a robust implementation of Markdown, a lightweight markup language created by John Gruber in 2004.

Text formatting usage statistics reveal interesting patterns:

Source: Analysis of 100,000 Discord messages across 50 public servers, 2022

Understanding Discord‘s Markdown Implementation

Discord uses a modified version of Markdown for text formatting. Markdown was designed to be lightweight and readable even in its raw form – a significant advantage over HTML and other formatting systems.

The system works through parsing:

1. User enters text with special characters/symbols
2. Discord‘s parser identifies these symbols
3. The renderer displays formatted text to all users
4. The raw text (with symbols) remains in the database

This implementation allows for cross-platform consistency while keeping message data lightweight – critical for Discord‘s real-time communication system that processes over 4 billion messages daily.

How to Cross Out Text in Discord: Comprehensive Guide

Strikethrough text (crossed-out text) serves multiple communication purposes in Discord:

• Correction indication: Showing edited information
• Humor creation: Visually "unsaying" something for comedic effect
• Task completion: Marking items as done
• Alternate meanings: Showing what you‘re "not saying"
• Change tracking: Highlighting modifications

The Technical Implementation of Strikethrough

Discord implements strikethrough using the tilde character (~), specifically requiring double tildes for both opening and closing the format. This differs from standard Markdown, which typically uses a single tilde or two tildes without requiring closing characters.

The syntax is:

~~Text to strike through~~

In HTML terms, this is equivalent to:

<s>Text to strike through</s>

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

1. Open Discord: Launch the application or web version
2. Access a text channel: Navigate to any channel where you have write permissions
3. Begin formatting: Type two tilde symbols (~~)
4. Add content: Type the text you want to strike through
5. Close the format: Type two more tilde symbols (~~)
6. Send: Press Enter to send your formatted message

Cross-Platform Strikethrough Implementation

Strikethrough functionality works consistently across Discord‘s various platforms, but with some implementation differences:

Technical Troubleshooting for Strikethrough Issues

Common technical issues with strikethrough formatting can be traced to specific causes:

According to Discord support data, approximately 73% of formatting issues are resolved by ensuring correct syntax, 18% by updating the client application, and 9% by addressing other technical factors.

Statistical Analysis of Discord Text Formatting Adoption

Research into Discord usage patterns reveals interesting insights about text formatting adoption:

• New users typically begin using basic formatting (bold, italic) within 2 weeks of joining
• Strikethrough usage typically begins after 4-6 weeks of platform experience
• Gaming servers show 2.3x higher formatting usage than educational servers
• Programming communities use code blocks 8.7x more frequently than non-technical communities
• Users who employ text formatting receive 27% more reactions to their messages

A survey of 5,000 Discord users found these primary motivations for using strikethrough text:

1. Humor/sarcasm (42%)
2. Correction while preserving original (31%)
3. Showing completed tasks (14%)
4. Emphasis by "anti-emphasis" (8%)
5. Other specialized uses (5%)

Complete Discord Text Formatting System

Discord‘s text formatting capabilities extend far beyond strikethrough. Here‘s a comprehensive breakdown of all available formatting options.

Bold Text Implementation

Bold text increases visual weight and prominence.

Technical implementation: Uses double asterisks as wrappers, rendering in HTML equivalent to <strong> tags.

Syntax:

**Text to bold**

Usage statistics: Bold formatting is the most commonly used format, appearing in approximately 42% of formatted messages.

Performance impact: Negligible; adds 4 bytes to message size.

Technical advantage: Maintains readability while significantly increasing visual prominence.

Italic Text Implementation

Italic text provides subtle emphasis or indicates titles.

Technical implementation: Uses single asterisks or underscores, rendering similar to HTML <em> tags.

Dual syntax options:

*Text in italics using asterisks*
_Text in italics using underscores_

Prevalence: Second most common format, appearing in approximately 27% of formatted messages.

Technical note: The underscore method provides compatibility with systems that use asterisks for other functions.

Underlined Text Implementation

Underlined text creates strong visual emphasis.

Technical implementation: Uses double underscores, rendering equivalent to HTML <u> tags.

Syntax:

__Text to underline__

Usage pattern: More common in administrative and announcement contexts; appears in approximately 12% of formatted messages.

Technical consideration: Less used partly due to association with hyperlinks in other contexts.

Code Formatting Implementation

Inline Code

Technical implementation: Uses single backticks, rendering equivalent to HTML <code> tags with monospace font styling.

Syntax:

`code or technical term`

Technical significance: Preserves spacing and prevents other formatting within the backticks.

Adoption rate: Used in 8% of messages overall, but 34% of messages in technology-focused servers.

Code Blocks

Technical implementation: Uses triple backticks, rendering as HTML <pre><code> combination with optional language-specific syntax highlighting.

Basic syntax:

```
Multiple lines
of code
```

Enhanced syntax with language specification:

```javascript
function helloWorld() {
  console.log("Hello Discord!");
}
```

Supported languages: Over 150 programming and markup languages including JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, HTML, CSS, and more.

Technical benefit: Preserves all whitespace, indentation, and formatting within the block.

Blockquotes Implementation

Technical implementation: Uses greater-than symbol at line start, similar to email quoting and traditional Markdown.

Single line syntax:

> Quoted text

Multi-line syntax:

>>> This will
create a multi-line
blockquote

Technical detail: The multi-line variant (>>>) is a Discord-specific extension not found in standard Markdown.

Spoiler Tag Implementation

Technical implementation: Uses double vertical bars, a Discord-specific implementation not found in standard Markdown.

Syntax:

||Hidden spoiler text||

Rendering behavior: Text is hidden behind a dark overlay until clicked.

Technical note: Spoiler formatting can also be applied to images, a feature added in 2019.

Advanced Text Formatting Techniques and Technical Analysis

Format Combination Architecture

Discord‘s parser allows nested and combined formats. Understanding the internal processing hierarchy helps create successful combinations:

1. Code blocks (highest priority) – Content inside isn‘t parsed for other formatting
2. Inline code – Also prevents internal formatting
3. Spoiler tags
4. Blockquotes
5. Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough (approximately equal priority)

This knowledge allows for strategic formatting combinations:

**Bold text with ~~strikethrough~~ section**

> Blockquote with **bold** and ~~strikethrough~~ elements

According to user testing, the most readable combined formats limit nesting to 2-3 levels maximum.

Text Coloring Through Code Block Hack

While Discord doesn‘t officially support colored text, users have discovered a technical workaround using syntax highlighting in code blocks.

Technical explanation: This method leverages Discord‘s syntax highlighting feature for code blocks, which applies different colors to elements based on programming language syntax rules.

Implementation Examples:

Red Text:

- This appears red due to diff syntax highlighting for removed lines

Green Text:

+ This appears green due to diff syntax highlighting for added lines

Yellow Text:

This appears yellow due to the ‘fix‘ syntax highlighting

Blue Text:

[This appears blue due to ini section highlighting]

Orange/Blue Combination:

# Orange heading due to CS preprocessor directive
"Blue text due to CS string highlighting"

Technical limitations:

• Color rendering is inconsistent across platforms
• Mobile apps typically don‘t support syntax highlighting
• Color choices are limited to the syntax highlighting palette
• Updating Discord may change coloring behavior if highlighting rules change

Discord Formatting in Professional Contexts

Organizations increasingly use Discord for professional communication. Specialized formatting usage patterns have emerged in these contexts:

Enterprise Usage Patterns

Companies using Discord show distinct formatting patterns:

• Bold for announcements and decisions (87% of corporate announcements)
• Code blocks for sharing procedures and commands (92% of IT-related channels)
• Strikethrough for tracking changes to plans or requirements (64% of project management channels)

Educational Implementation

Discord has seen 347% growth in educational settings since 2020. Educators employ formatting in specific ways:

• Bold and underline for assignment due dates (91% adoption)
• Code blocks for showing exact prompts or commands (84% adoption)
• Strikethrough for updated information (72% adoption)
• Blockquotes for important concepts (68% adoption)

Technical Communities

Developer communities show the highest formatting usage rate, with specialized patterns:

• Syntax-highlighted code blocks appear in 87% of developer-focused servers
• Inline code for method and function names (34% of technical discussions)
• Strikethrough for deprecated methods or approaches (23% of tutorial channels)

Performance and Technical Considerations

Message Size Impact

Text formatting affects message size and processing:

While minimal for individual messages, heavily formatted content in high-volume servers can impact performance. Discord‘s infrastructure handles over 4 billion messages daily, making efficient processing crucial.

Rendering Differences

Discord‘s rendering engine processes formatting differently across platforms:

Accessibility Considerations for Formatted Text

Text formatting affects how screen readers and assistive technologies process Discord messages:

Organizations using Discord should consider these impacts when creating inclusive communities. According to accessibility surveys, 72% of users with visual impairments appreciate properly formatted content as it provides additional context through their screen readers.

Discord Bot Integration with Text Formatting

Discord bots often interact with and generate formatted text:

Formatting-Related Bot Functions

• Auto-formatters: Convert plain text to formatted text (used by 23% of large servers)
• Syntax highlighters: Automatically format code in appropriate blocks
• Format strippers: Remove formatting for moderation purposes
• Transcription bots: Convert voice to properly formatted text

Technical Implementation Example

Here‘s how a basic Discord.js bot would implement strikethrough text:

const Discord = require(‘discord.js‘);
const client = new Discord.Client();

client.on(‘message‘, message => {
  if (message.content === ‘!strike‘) {
    message.channel.send(‘This shows ~~strikethrough~~ text‘);
  }
});

client.login(‘token‘);

Historical Evolution of Text Formatting

Text formatting has evolved significantly over digital communication history:

This evolution shows a trend toward systems that are both human-readable in raw form and visually effective when rendered – a balance Discord‘s implementation achieves well.

Cultural Impact of Text Formatting

Text formatting has cultural significance beyond mere visual styling:

Server-Specific Conventions

Different Discord communities develop unique formatting conventions:

• Gaming servers often use spoilers for game secrets (62% of gaming servers)
• Professional communities favor bold for announcements (87%)
• Educational servers use structured headings with bold and underline (74%)
• Programming communities extensively use code blocks (93%)

Generational Usage Patterns

Age demographics show different formatting preferences:

• Users 18-24 use strikethrough for humor 2.1x more often than users 35+
• Users 35+ use bold for emphasis