How to Do Subscript and Superscript in Word, Google Docs, Excel, HTML, and More

To make a superscript, select the text and press Ctrl + Shift + = in Word (Cmd + Shift + = on a Mac) or Ctrl + . in Google Docs; for a subscript, press Ctrl + = in Word or Ctrl + , in Google Docs. In HTML the tags are <sup> and <sub>, in LaTeX the characters are ^ and _, and when no formatting is available at all, Unicode has ready-made characters such as ² and ₂ that you can paste anywhere.

A superscript is a character set slightly above the baseline and smaller than the surrounding text, as in x², 10⁶, 1st, and the ™ mark. A subscript sits slightly below the baseline, as in H₂O, CO₂, and the index in xᵢ. This guide shows how to do superscripts and subscripts in every common tool, with the keyboard shortcuts, the plain-text Unicode fallbacks, and the conventions for chemistry, math, and footnotes.

Quick Reference by App: Superscript and Subscript Shortcuts

Every shortcut is a toggle: press it once to start writing in superscript, type, and press it again to return to normal text. Selecting existing text first and pressing the shortcut converts just the selection.

Writing math or chemistry in LaTeX? The LaTeX subscripts and superscripts lesson covers ^{} and _{} in detail, including multi-character exponents like x^{10}, combined indices like x_i^2, and chemical formulas.

Superscript and Subscript in Microsoft Word

Word has three ways to do it:

1. Shortcut. Ctrl + Shift + = for superscript, Ctrl + = for subscript (Cmd on a Mac). This is the fastest, and the keys are easy to remember because = carries the + sign, so "Shift + plus" means up.
2. Ribbon. On the Home tab, the Font group has an x² button (superscript) and an x₂ button (subscript).
3. Font dialog. Ctrl + D opens the Font dialog, where Superscript and Subscript are checkboxes; this is also where you can adjust the character position if the default looks too high or too low.

Word also auto-formats ordinals: type "1st" followed by a space and AutoCorrect raises the "st" (File, Options, Proofing, AutoCorrect Options, "Ordinals (1st) with superscript" turns this on or off). For equations, Alt + = opens the equation editor, where x^2 and x_2 are converted as you type, as in LaTeX.

Google Docs

Press Ctrl + . (period) for superscript and Ctrl + , (comma) for subscript; on a Mac use Cmd + . and Cmd + ,. The same options are in the menu under Format, Text, Superscript or Subscript. Google Docs also has Insert, Special characters, where you can search "superscript two" to insert the Unicode ² if you need a character that survives copy-and-paste into a plain-text field. In Google Sheets, there is no formatting toggle for part of a cell, so use the Unicode characters (see below) or the CHAR() function, for example =CHAR(178) for ².

Excel

Excel formats characters inside a cell through the Format Cells dialog rather than a shortcut:

1. Double-click the cell and select the characters to raise or lower.
2. Press Ctrl + 1 to open Format Cells (or right-click and choose Format Cells).
3. On the Font tab, tick Superscript or Subscript, then press Enter.

The formatting applies only to text, not to numbers used in calculations, so a cell containing the value 1000000 cannot display as 10⁶; type it as text or use a custom number format with the Unicode character.

Mac Shortcuts in Pages, Notes, and Mail

Apple's apps use Cmd + Ctrl + = for superscript and Cmd + Ctrl + - for subscript, and the same commands are under Format, Font, Baseline. Word for Mac follows its own convention (Cmd + Shift + = and Cmd + =), which is the main reason the two sets of shortcuts get mixed up.

HTML and CSS

Use the semantic tags: H<sub>2</sub>O renders as H₂O and x<sup>2</sup> as x². Browsers shrink the text and shift it automatically. If the shifted characters make line spacing uneven, which happens in long paragraphs with many footnote markers, style them so they do not affect line height:

1sup, sub { font-size: 75%; line-height: 0; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; }
2sup { top: -0.5em; }
3sub { bottom: -0.25em; }
Copy

For footnote references, <sup> is the right tag, usually wrapping a link to the note. The tag is preferred over a Unicode character because screen readers announce the structure.

Markdown

Standard Markdown has no syntax for superscripts or subscripts, so the portable answer is to embed the HTML tags, which almost every renderer (GitHub, Obsidian, Jupyter, static site generators) passes through: H<sub>2</sub>O and x<sup>2</sup>. Some flavours add shortcuts: Pandoc and Obsidian accept ^2^ for superscript and ~2~ for subscript, R Markdown uses the same, and most renderers with math support let you write $x^2$ and $x_2$ with LaTeX syntax. Where none of this is available, use the Unicode characters.

Unicode Superscript and Subscript Characters

Unicode includes a block of ready-made characters that work in any text field: file names, chat messages, spreadsheet cells, social media, and plain-text email.

The limitation is coverage: there is no subscript b, c, d, f, g, or q, and no superscript q, so chemistry and physics text that needs those falls back to real formatting. On Windows, the digits ², ³, and ¹ have Alt codes (Alt + 0178, Alt + 0179, Alt + 0185); the rest are inserted from the Character Map, the emoji panel (Win + .) under Symbols, or in Word by typing the hex code and pressing Alt + X (for example 2082 then Alt + X gives ₂). On a Mac, use the Character Viewer (Ctrl + Cmd + Space) and search "subscript" or "superscript".

Unicode characters also look slightly different from formatted text, because they are separate glyphs rather than scaled copies of the main font, so in a formal document prefer the application's own superscript formatting and keep Unicode for plain-text contexts.

Chemistry: H₂O, CO₂, and Ions

In chemical formulas, the number of atoms is a subscript following the element symbol (H₂O, C₆H₁₂O₆, Ca(OH)₂), and the charge on an ion is a superscript with the number before the sign (SO₄²⁻, Na⁺, Fe³⁺). Isotopes carry the mass number as a superscript and, optionally, the atomic number as a subscript, both before the symbol: ¹⁴C or ²³⁸₉₂U. State symbols such as (aq) and (g) are ordinary text in parentheses, not subscripts, although older textbooks set them lowered. In documents with many formulas, LaTeX's mhchem package writes all of this from plain notation: \ce{SO4^2-}.

Mathematics: Exponents and Indices

Exponents are superscripts (x², eˣ, 10⁻¹⁹) and indices are subscripts (xᵢ, aₙ, the matrix element Aᵢⱼ). Scientific notation combines a coefficient and a power of ten: 6.02 × 10²³. Logarithm bases are subscripts (log₁₀, log₂) and summation limits attach to the sigma as a subscript and superscript. In word processors, all of these can be built with the formatting toggles, but once an expression has more than one level, for example x to the power of n plus one, an equation editor or LaTeX is the only way to keep it readable. See https://www.useoctree.com/learn/subscripts-superscripts for the LaTeX syntax, including multi-character exponents, nested scripts, and limits on integrals and sums.

Footnotes, Ordinals, and Trademarks

Footnote markers are superscript numbers placed after the punctuation in most English styles, and word processors insert them automatically (References, Insert Footnote in Word; Ctrl + Alt + F in Google Docs), so there is no need to format the number by hand. Ordinals (1st, 2nd, 3rd) are superscripts in some house styles and plain text in others; Chicago and APA prefer plain text. The ™ and ® marks exist as single characters that already sit raised, so insert those rather than raising a letter.

Superscript in a Sentence: Examples

Here is how superscript (and, for contrast, subscript) looks in ordinary sentences. The raised or lowered part is the formatted text:

• Ordinal: "She finished 2ⁿᵈ in the national final." The "nd" is superscript, as are "st", "rd" and "th" in 1ˢᵗ, 3ʳᵈ and 4ᵗʰ (many style guides now prefer them on the baseline: 2nd).
• Exponent: "Einstein showed that E = mc², so a little mass holds a lot of energy." The 2 in c² is a superscript power.
• Area and units: "A square with sides of x cm has an area of x² cm²." Each ² is a superscript.
• Footnote marker: "The study was later replicated.¹" The ¹ after the period is a superscript reference to footnote 1.
• Scientific notation: "A light-year is about 9.46 × 10¹⁵ meters." The 15 is a superscript exponent.
• Subscript, for contrast: "Water, H₂O, is two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom." The 2 sits below the line, so it is a subscript, not a superscript.

Rule of thumb: superscript raises the text (powers, ordinals, footnote markers, ™ and ®), subscript lowers it (chemical formulas and indices such as xᵢ).

Choosing the Right Method

• Writing a document in Word, Docs, or Pages: use the shortcuts. They produce proper formatting that scales with the font.
• Writing a web page or Markdown: use <sup> and <sub>.
• A spreadsheet, file name, chat, or form field: use the Unicode characters.
• Anything with real equations or many chemical formulas: use LaTeX, where ^ and _ handle every case consistently and the result is typeset correctly in PDF.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I type a superscript on a keyboard?

In Word press Ctrl + Shift + = (Cmd + Shift + = on Mac), in Google Docs press Ctrl + . and in Pages press Cmd + Ctrl + =. Type the characters and press the shortcut again to return to normal text. For a plain-text field, paste the Unicode characters ² ³ ⁴ or use Alt + 0178 for ² on Windows.

How do I do subscript in Google Docs?

Press Ctrl + , (comma) on Windows or Cmd + , on a Mac, or choose Format, Text, Subscript. Press the shortcut again to switch subscript off.

How do I write H2O with a small 2?

Type H, then press the subscript shortcut, type 2, press the shortcut again, and type O. In HTML write H<sub>2</sub>O, in LaTeX H$_2$O or \ce{H2O} with mhchem, and in plain text use the Unicode subscript two: H₂O.

Why is my superscript making the line spacing uneven?

Raised characters increase the height of the line that contains them. In Word, set the paragraph's line spacing to "Exactly" a fixed value; in HTML, use the CSS in this guide to give sup and sub a line-height of 0.

Can I use superscript in Excel formulas?

No; superscript and subscript in Excel are character formatting for text inside a cell and do not affect values. For a displayed power of ten use the Unicode character in a text cell, or compute with 10^6 and format the result with a custom number format.

How do you write superscript and subscript?

Select the characters and press the shortcut for your app: Ctrl + Shift + = (superscript) and Ctrl + = (subscript) in Word, Ctrl + . and Ctrl + , in Google Docs. In HTML use <sup> and <sub>, in LaTeX ^{} and _{}, and in plain text the Unicode characters ² and ₂.

What is an example of superscript in a sentence?

"Einstein's equation is E = mc²." The 2 is a superscript. Other examples are ordinals (2ⁿᵈ place), footnote markers (as shown.¹) and scientific notation (3 × 10⁸ m/s).

What is the difference between superscript and subscript?

Superscript is smaller text raised above the baseline, used for exponents (x²), ordinals and footnote markers. Subscript is smaller text lowered below the baseline, used for chemical formulas (H₂O, CO₂) and indices (xᵢ, aₙ).

How do you do superscript and subscript in LaTeX?

In math mode, x^{2} raises and x_{2} lowers; braces are needed for more than one character, as in x^{10}. In running text use \textsuperscript{th} and \textsubscript{2}. See the LaTeX subscripts and superscripts lesson.

For documents with real math and chemistry, write them in Octree, the AI LaTeX editor that turns typed notation into typeset output instantly: https://www.useoctree.com