WhatsApp is full of text formatting tricks that most people never discover. You type a message, hit send, and move on. But beyond regular typing, there's a whole world of creative options hiding in plain sight. Some of these features have been around for years, yet even long-time users have no idea they exist.
Ready to level up your messaging game? Here are ten tricks that will change how you use WhatsApp.
Want to make a word or phrase stand out? Just wrap it in asterisks. This is probably the most useful formatting trick WhatsApp offers, and it works on every platform -- Android, iOS, and WhatsApp Web.
Use it for emphasis, headings in longer messages, or to highlight key information. It is a small change that makes a big difference in readability. For a deeper dive into bold and other native formatting options, check out our complete guide to bold, italic, and strikethrough.
Italics add a softer emphasis compared to bold. They are perfect for quoting someone, adding a side comment, or giving your message a slightly different tone. Just place underscores on each side of your text.
It works exactly the way you would expect. The underscores disappear, and the text renders in italic. Simple and effective.
Strikethrough is one of those underrated formatting options. It is great for corrections, humor, or showing that something has changed. Wrap your text in tildes to draw a line right through it.
People often use strikethrough for playful corrections like "I'm having a ~bad~ great day" or to cross out items on a shared list.
This one surprises most people. WhatsApp supports a monospace font -- the kind of typeface you see in code editors and terminals. Every character takes up the same width, which makes it perfect for sharing code snippets or technical information.
Wrap your text in three backticks on each side. The result is a distinct, fixed-width font that visually separates your text from the rest of the conversation. Want to learn more about creative uses for monospace? Read our guide to monospace font in WhatsApp.
Here is where things get interesting. You can stack formatting options together. Want bold italic text? No problem. Bold strikethrough? Go for it. The trick is nesting the syntax correctly.
You can even combine all three at once for maximum emphasis. Just make sure you close each formatting marker in the reverse order you opened it. Think of it like nesting parentheses -- the last one opened is the first one closed.
Yes, you can send a completely empty-looking message on WhatsApp. The trick involves using invisible Unicode characters -- special characters that take up space but do not render visually. It is a fun way to confuse friends or create visual spacing in group chats.
Typing invisible characters manually is tedious, which is why we built a tool for it. Our Blank Message Generator lets you create invisible messages with a single click. You can also read our full guide on blank messages to learn all the details.
Regular text feeling a little plain? Unicode gives you access to dozens of alternative character sets that look like entirely different fonts. You can send messages in bold serif, italic script, circled letters, squared text, and more -- all without installing anything.
These are not actually fonts in the traditional sense. They are Unicode characters that happen to look like styled text. The best part? They work everywhere, not just WhatsApp. Try our Fancy Text Generator to convert any text instantly, or read our guide to fancy text on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp does not have a built-in bullet list feature, but you can fake one using Unicode bullet characters. Just copy the bullet point symbol and use it at the start of each line. The result looks clean and organized.
You can also use other symbols like dashes, arrows, or checkmarks. This trick is especially handy in group chats when you need to share a list of action items, meeting notes, or options for everyone to vote on.
WhatsApp added support for block quotes in 2024. To quote text, simply start a line with the greater-than symbol followed by a space. This indents the text and gives it a visual border, making it clear that you are referencing something.
Block quotes are incredibly useful in longer conversations. You can reference a previous point, quote an external source, or separate a key takeaway from the rest of your message. It adds structure and clarity.
Did you know WhatsApp has a character limit per message? A single message can hold up to 65,536 characters, which is plenty for most people. But if you are writing something long -- a detailed announcement, a story, or a formatted document -- it helps to know where you stand.
Our Character Counter tool shows your character count, word count, line count, and even emoji count in real time. It is a small utility, but it can save you the frustration of hitting the limit mid-message.
Want to try all these tricks without memorizing the syntax?
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