What superscript and subscript do

Superscript raises text above the baseline — the line your regular letters sit on. Subscript lowers text below the baseline. Both make the raised or lowered text smaller than regular text. You use them for things like footnote numbers, mathematical exponents, chemical formulas, and trademark symbols.

In Microsoft Word, you can explore superscript or subscript to text you've already typed, or you can turn the formatting on before you type. Either way takes just a few clicks or a keyboard shortcut.

Key Takeaways

  • Superscript raises text above the line (used for footnote numbers and exponents like 2³), while subscript lowers it below (used in chemical formulas like H₂O).
  • The fastest way is the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Plus for superscript or Ctrl+Equals for subscript on Windows, or Cmd+Shift+Plus and Cmd+Equals on Mac.
  • You can also use the Home tab in the ribbon: select your text, then click the superscript or subscript button in the Font group.
  • To turn off superscript or subscript, select the text and press the same shortcut again, or click the button again.

Using the keyboard shortcut (fastest method)

On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+Plus for superscript or Ctrl+Equals for subscript. On Mac, press Cmd+Shift+Plus for superscript or Cmd+Equals for subscript.

If you want to type superscript or subscript text, position your cursor where you want it, press the shortcut, then type. The text will appear in superscript or subscript format. When you're done, press the shortcut again to turn it off and return to normal text.

If you've already typed the text you want to format, select it first (click and drag to highlight it), then press the shortcut. The selected text will when ready change to superscript or subscript.

Using the ribbon buttons

Open your document in Word and select the text you want to format. Look at the top of the screen for the Home tab — it's usually already selected when you open Word.

In the Home tab, find the Font group (it's in the upper left area of the ribbon). You'll see two small buttons: one with an "x" raised above the line (superscript) and one with an "x" below the line (subscript). Click the one you need. Your selected text will change when ready.

To remove the formatting, select the text again and click the same button. It will toggle off and return the text to normal size and position.

Turning superscript and subscript off

Once you've applied superscript or subscript to text, you can remove it by selecting that text and pressing the same keyboard shortcut again. For example, if you used Ctrl+Shift+Plus to make text superscript, pressing Ctrl+Shift+Plus again will turn it off.

You can also click the superscript or subscript button in the ribbon a second time to toggle it off. The text will return to normal size and position on the baseline.

Common uses for superscript and subscript

Superscript is used for footnote and endnote numbers (like this¹), mathematical exponents (2³ = 8), and trademark or copyright symbols (™, ©). It's also used in ordinal numbers like 1st, 2nd, or 3rd when you want the "st," "nd," or "rd" to appear raised.

Subscript appears in chemical formulas (H₂O for water, CO₂ for carbon dioxide) and mathematical notation. It's also used in some scientific and technical writing where you need to show a variable with a number or letter below it.

Formatting that stays when you copy and paste

When you copy text with superscript or subscript formatting and paste it into another part of your document, the formatting stays attached to that text. If you paste into a different program, the formatting may or may not carry over — it depends on whether that program supports the same formatting.

If you paste into plain text (like Notepad), all formatting including superscript and subscript will be lost, and the text will appear at normal size on the baseline. To preserve the formatting, paste into another Word document or another program that supports rich text formatting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use superscript and subscript in the same word?

Yes. Type the word, then select just the part you want in superscript and explore that formatting. Then select a different part and explore subscript. Each piece of text keeps its own formatting independently.

What if the keyboard shortcut doesn't work?

Make sure you're using the correct keys for your keyboard layout and operating system. On some keyboards, you may need to hold Fn as well. If it still doesn't work, use the ribbon buttons instead — they always work the same way.

Does superscript and subscript work in all Word documents?

Yes, it works in all versions of Microsoft Word. If you save your document as a .docx file (the standard format), the formatting will be preserved. If you save as .txt or plain text, the formatting will be lost.

Can I change the size of superscript or subscript text?

Word automatically makes superscript and subscript text smaller than the surrounding text. You can manually adjust the size by selecting the text and changing the font size in the ribbon, but Word's default sizing is designed to look correct in most documents.

How do I make a footnote number appear as superscript automatically?

Word does this for you. When you insert a footnote (References tab, then Insert Footnote), Word automatically places the footnote number in superscript. You don't need to format it yourself.