Normalization Checker
After inventorying two strings, compare whether canonical or compatibility normalization aligns them. Open the Normalization Checker.
Unicode Inspector
Unicode Inspector is a browser utility that identifies the code points and properties inside text. 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
Analyze your own text
Try a sample:
Maximum 2,000 characters · no upload
Enter text or choose a sample to generate a detailed report.
What an inspection can answer
Visual similarity is unreliable evidence. Inspection replaces a guess about appearance with an exact inventory of encoded values.
- Confirm whether a mark is one code point or a multi-part sequence.
- Expose spaces, joiners, variation selectors, and combining marks that may be invisible.
- Compare UTF-8 byte sequences when text changes between systems.
- Copy an exact U+ identifier into documentation, bug reports, or database checks.
Rendered glyphé
↓
Grapheme clusterone perceived unit
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Possible code pointsU+0065 + U+0301
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UTF-8 bytes65 CC 81
How to interpret each result column
A row describes one code point. Several adjacent rows can still form a single grapheme—the unit a reader experiences as one character.
| Column | What it measures | Useful question | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Order in the code-point sequence | Where does the unexpected value occur? | It is not a byte offset. |
| Character | A visible stand-in for the value | Does the item render at all? | Blank output can be legitimate. |
| Unicode name | The stable character label | Which assigned value is this? | A formal name is not cultural interpretation. |
| Code point | The scalar value written as U+hex | Can two lookalikes be distinguished? | Sequences require more than one U+ value. |
| UTF-8 | Bytes used by UTF-8 encoding | Did an encoding boundary alter the text? | Bytes do not describe typography. |
Four strings that reward inspection
These cases look simple, yet their internal structures differ. Choose a sample above to verify them in the live report.
| Sample | Underlying structure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| café | Usually four code points, but the final é may also decompose | Search and equality checks can disagree without a normalization policy. |
| 👨👩👧👦 | Four people joined by three zero width joiners | Removing an unseen joiner changes one family glyph into separate emoji. |
| 🇭🇰 | Two regional indicator code points | Unsupported software can display letter-like fallbacks rather than a flag. |
| AB | Two letters with U+200D between them | Invisible format characters can survive copying and affect processing. |
A reliable inspection routine
Follow the sequence from evidence to policy. Each stage guards against a different class of Unicode mistake.
Capture
Paste the original text without retyping it. Retyping can erase the very code point you need to diagnose.
Inventory
Read every U+ value in order and note format controls, marks, selectors, or repeated spaces.
Compare
Inspect a known-good specimen separately. Compare encoded values, not screenshots or glyph shapes.
Decide
Apply the rule appropriate to your system: preserve, normalize, reject, or replace. Context determines the safe action.
Questions people ask about unicode inspector
Why does one visible emoji produce several rows?
Emoji can be grapheme clusters assembled from base emoji, modifiers, selectors, regional indicators, keycap marks, or joiners. The inspector reports the encoded ingredients rather than collapsing the cluster.
Why is the Unicode name unavailable for some input?
The browser tool ships a compact name map for this site's catalog. It still reports the exact code point and bytes for values outside that map; consult the Unicode Character Database for the authoritative name.
Can this detect homoglyph attacks automatically?
No. It exposes differences that appearance can conceal, but a complete identifier defense also needs script restrictions, confusable-data checks, and application-specific rules.
Does the tool upload pasted text?
No. JavaScript performs the inspection in the current browser tab. The page does not send the textarea value to a site endpoint.
Build the surrounding knowledge
Foundations
What Is Unicode? A Practical Guide to Characters and Code Points
Unicode is the character standard behind modern text. Learn how characters, code points, glyphs, fonts, and encodings fit together.
Read the guide →EngineeringZero-Width Unicode Characters: Joiners, Spaces, and Hidden Text
Identify zero-width joiners, non-joiners, word joiners, and other invisible formatting characters without treating them as interchangeable.
Read the guide →SecurityUnicode Confusable Characters and Identifier Security
Understand homoglyphs, mixed-script identifiers, normalization limits, and safer ways to validate usernames, domains, and account IDs.
Read the guide →Move to the next diagnostic
Code Point Converter
Translate a confirmed character into source-code escapes or byte notation for implementation. Open the Code Point Converter.
Standards behind this tool
The browser output is designed as a practical diagnostic, while normative definitions belong to the standards publishers below.