Zero-width space
Encyclopedia
The zero-width space is a non-printing character used in computerized typesetting
to indicate word boundaries to text processing systems when using scripts that do not use explicit spacing, or after characters (such as the slash
) that are not followed by a visible space but after which there may nevertheless be a line break. Normally it isn't a visible separation, but it may expand in passages that are fully justified
. In HTML
pages this space can be used as a potential line-break in long words as a replacement for the non-standard
s, most notably Internet Explorer
version 6 and below.
It has the Unicode
value of U+200B and its HTML entity
is ​. To show the effect of a zero-width space, the following words have been separated with zero-width spaces:
On browsers supporting zero-width spaces, resizing the window will re-break the above text only at word boundaries.
Its semantics and HTML implementation are comparable to but different from the soft hyphen
.
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
to indicate word boundaries to text processing systems when using scripts that do not use explicit spacing, or after characters (such as the slash
Slash (punctuation)
The slash is a sign used as a punctuation mark and for various other purposes. It is now often called a forward slash , and many other alternative names.-History:...
) that are not followed by a visible space but after which there may nevertheless be a line break. Normally it isn't a visible separation, but it may expand in passages that are fully justified
Justification (typesetting)
In typesetting, justification is the typographic alignment setting of text or images within a column or "measure" to align along both the left and right margin...
. In HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
pages this space can be used as a potential line-break in long words as a replacement for the non-standard
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
s, most notably Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
version 6 and below.
It has the Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
value of U+200B and its HTML entity
Character encodings in HTML
HTML has been in use since 1991, but HTML 4.0 was the first standardized version where international characters were given reasonably complete treatment...
is ​. To show the effect of a zero-width space, the following words have been separated with zero-width spaces:
AntidisestablishmentarianismAntidisestablishmentarianismAntidisestablishmentarianismAntidisestablishmentarianismAntidisestablishmentarianismAntidisestablishmentarianismAntidisestablishmentarianismAntidisestablishmentarianismAntidisestablishmentarianism
On browsers supporting zero-width spaces, resizing the window will re-break the above text only at word boundaries.
Its semantics and HTML implementation are comparable to but different from the soft hyphen
Soft hyphen
In computing and typesetting, a soft hyphen is a type of hyphen used to specify a place in text where a hyphenated break is allowed without forcing a line break in an inconvenient place if the text is re-flowed....
.