Search misses accented names
Inspect both strings, compare NFC and NFD, then normalize at the chosen indexing boundary. Do not strip every mark: accents can distinguish words and names.
Study normalization →See what your text is really made of
The Unicode tool suite analyzes text inside your browser. Three focused utilities move from character identity to equivalence and source-code representation, with technical explanations beside the output.
Choose a toolU+Your text
⌕InspectWhat is present?
≋CompareWhat is equivalent?
↔ConvertHow is it represented?
3specialist utilities
0text uploads
4normalization forms
6conversion outputs
Start with the question you need answered
Each utility owns one part of the investigation. Their outputs connect, but their jobs do not overlap.
Unicode Inspector
Reveal the encoded building blocks that sit beneath a word, symbol, emoji, or apparently blank string. The report separates code points from what your eye perceives on screen.
- Unit inspectedUnicode code point
- Maximum input2,000 characters
- Network transferNone
Normalization Checker
Compare all four standard normalization forms side by side, see which transformations alter your text, and choose a boundary policy without confusing equivalence with visual sameness.
- Canonical formsNFC + NFD
- Compatibility formsNFKC + NFKD
- Compared locallyFour outputs
Code Point Converter
Translate the same Unicode text into code-point notation, numeric HTML references, JavaScript escapes, CSS escapes, and raw UTF-8 bytes without mixing the rules of those formats.
- Output syntaxesSix
- Numeric baseHexadecimal
- Original retainedLiteral UTF-8
One text problem, three different lenses
A disciplined investigation moves from observation to transformation and only then to implementation.
InputPaste the untouched specimen
→
café → ★⌕
→
Inspect
Inventory code points and bytes.
≋
→
Compare
Test normalization outcomes.
U+
Convert
Export the required syntax.
Which Unicode tool should you open?
Match the symptom to the evidence that can resolve it.
| Your question | Best starting point | Evidence returned | Likely next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why do these two strings look alike but compare unequal? | Unicode Inspector | Ordered code points and UTF-8 bytes | Compare their normalization forms |
| Will NFC or NFKC change this user input? | Normalization Checker | Four transformed strings with U+ sequences | Document a field-level policy |
| How do I place this symbol in JavaScript or CSS? | Code Point Converter | Context-labeled escape syntaxes | Round-trip inside the target language |
| Is an empty-looking username actually empty? | Unicode Inspector | Invisible format and spacing values | Apply identifier validation rules |
| Which bytes should appear in a UTF-8 log? | Code Point Converter | Hexadecimal byte sequence | Check decoding at every boundary |
Where these diagnostics earn their keep
Unicode failures often cross several layers. These scenarios show what to examine before changing the data.
An emoji splits after editing
Look for lost joiners, variation selectors, or modifiers. A visible pictograph may be a sequence whose invisible components must remain in order.
Study presentation sequences →A symbol becomes mojibake
Convert the known-good value to bytes, then compare logs across storage and transport. Corruption points to a decoding mismatch, not a missing HTML entity.
Study UTF-8 →A username imitates another
Inventory the scripts and code points first. Normalization alone does not merge every confusable, so identifier policy and security data must finish the assessment.
Study confusable text →Read the result without overclaiming
Unicode assigns characters and properties. Fonts choose the glyphs that represent them.
A reader's single perceived character may contain several independently encoded values.
Equivalent-form processing does not replace validation, script policy, or confusable checks.
HTML, JavaScript, and CSS each parse their own notation under different grammar rules.
A compact learning path
Use the utilities for evidence, then follow the connected guides for standards context and implementation choices.
Technical foundation
These utilities use browser text APIs and the site's Unicode character data. For normative definitions, consult the latest Unicode Standard, the Unicode Character Database, and our research methodology.