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The Zero-Width Space-Place

Nothing to​​ see here​.

Zero‑Width Space

Click the translucent pill (blue dot marks it) or the big Copy button.

What’s Zero-Width Space?

The zero‑width space (U+200B) is a Unicode glyph that renders nothing and occupies zero width. In the right hands, this “invisible ink” changes how software treats text.

Example

Below are seven tricks I actually use, each with a quick demo.

  1. Anchor an Alphabetical List
    Prefix one or more ZWS characters to push an item ahead of "A".
​Newsletter  ← with ZWS
Apple
Zucchini
  1. Break Auto‑Linking
    Drop a ZWS into a URL or email to foil scrapers while leaving it human‑readable.
hello​@starikov.co
https://starikov​.co
  1. Duplicate C++ Identifiers
    ZWS is a valid identifier char in many compilers.
int total = 1;     // normal
int tota​l = 2;     // looks the same, compiles fine
std::cout << total + tota​l; // prints 3
  1. Python Indentation Gremlins
    Slip a ZWS into leading spaces; code looks aligned but crashes.
def hello():
    print("ok")   # four spaces
​    print("boom") # four + ZWS → IndentationError

  1. Hide Easter‑Egg Text
    Insert a binary watermark every 100 chars; humans never see it, diff tools do.

  2. Zero‑Length Social Forms
    Some platforms allow a username, bios, and other forms that is literally just ZWS. Pure minimalism.

  3. Control word‑wrapping
    Add ZWS inside a super‑long URL to let browsers break the line without inserting a visible hyphen.

<span style="word-break:break-all">
    https://example.com/superlong​paththatneverends
</span>
,   &  Illya Starikov
Technology, Easter Egg