Zero-Width Character Detector
Detect and remove hidden zero-width characters from text with position visualization
Zero-Width Character Reference
| Character | Unicode | HTML Entity | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [ZWSP] | U+200B | ​ | Zero Width Space | Line break opportunities |
| [ZWNJ] | U+200C | ‌ | Zero Width Non-Joiner | Prevents ligatures |
| [ZWJ] | U+200D | ‍ | Zero Width Joiner | Creates ligatures, emoji combinations |
| [LRM] | U+200E | ‎ | Left-to-Right Mark | Text direction control |
| [RLM] | U+200F | ‏ | Right-to-Left Mark | Text direction control |
| [WJ] | U+2060 | ⁠ | Word Joiner | Prevents line breaks |
| [BOM] | U+FEFF |  | Byte Order Mark | File encoding marker |
Security Implications
Fingerprinting
Zero-width characters can be used to uniquely identify documents or track information leaks by embedding invisible markers.
Homograph Attacks
Attackers can use these characters to create visually identical but technically different URLs or usernames.
Legitimate Uses
Zero-width characters have legitimate uses in typography, such as controlling line breaks and text direction in multilingual content.
Protection
Always sanitize user input and check copied text for hidden characters before using in security-sensitive contexts.
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