A zero width space (U+200B) is an invisible Unicode character used for text formatting and word breaking. Although it cannot be seen, it can cause serious issues in code, APIs, and data processing systems.
A zero width space is a special Unicode character that allows line breaks without adding visible spacing. It is often inserted automatically by text editors, messaging platforms, or content management systems.
Because the character is invisible, developers often do not realize it exists in their text.
Zero width spaces commonly appear when copying and pasting text from:
These tools sometimes insert hidden formatting characters to control line wrapping or layout.
Invisible characters can break many systems that expect strict formatting.
Because the character is invisible, debugging the problem can be extremely frustrating.
Hello​WorldThe text above looks normal, but there is actually a hidden character between the two words. That invisible character is U+200B Zero Width Space.
You can remove zero width spaces using a simple JavaScript replacement:
text.replace(/\u200B/g, "")
This removes all instances of the hidden character from the string.
Instead of manually searching for invisible characters, you can use an automated cleaner.
Unicode Cleaner detects and removes hidden Unicode characters such as:
The tool runs entirely in your browser and helps quickly debug invisible character problems.