Find the zero-width characters hiding in your Urdu text, see exactly where each one sits, and learn which are stray and which are joiners Urdu may use on purpose.
Quick Answer
The Urdu Zero-Width Character Detector scans your text for the invisible zero-width characters and reports each one with its position and type. It marks the stray ones, like the zero-width space and the byte order mark, and notes the zero-width joiners that Urdu sometimes uses for shaping. It reports only; it does not change your text. Everything runs in your browser.
Detect Zero-Width Characters
Paste Urdu text to find invisible zero-width characters.
Detection report
- Found
- 0
- Stray
- 0
- Joiners
- 0
- Kinds
- 0
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What the Urdu Zero-Width Character Detector Does
The Urdu Zero-Width Character Detector scans your text for the invisible zero-width characters and reports each one it finds. For every one it gives the type and, if you want, the position, so you can see exactly what is hiding in the text and where.
It separates the stray characters, like the zero-width space and the byte order mark, from the zero-width joiners that Urdu sometimes uses for shaping, so you know which are a problem and which may be wanted.
Everything runs on your own device. Your text is never uploaded or stored, so it stays private while you scan it.
How to Detect
- Paste your text. Enter text that may hold zero-width characters.
- Read the count. See how many were found, and how many are stray or joiners.
- Check each one. See the type and position of each character.
- Copy or download. Copy the report, or save it as a text file.
The Characters It Finds
The detector finds the zero-width space, the zero-width non-joiner, the zero-width joiner, the word joiner, the byte order mark, and the soft hyphen. These are all invisible, so they cannot be seen in the text, but each one is stored and can affect how the text behaves.
Stray Versus Joiners
The detector marks the zero-width joiner and non-joiner as joiners, since Urdu sometimes uses them to control how letters connect. The others, the zero-width space, the word joiner, the byte order mark, and the soft hyphen, are marked as stray, because they rarely belong in Urdu text.
The Positions
For each character found, the detector can show its position in the text, counting from the start. This tells you exactly where a stray character sits, which is useful for understanding why a word breaks oddly or a search misses at a certain point.
A Worked Example
Text:
Loading example…
Detection report:
Loading example…
The live detector is preparing this example…
The result above comes from the same function the tool uses, so it reflects real behavior. Press Load Example to try it.
Who Uses This Detector
Developers use it to debug text. Editors use it to check pasted content. Anyone whose text behaves oddly uses it to find the invisible cause.
Accuracy and Limits
The detector finds the zero-width characters exactly, using the browser’s own text handling, and reports their types and positions. It marks the joiners that Urdu may use, but whether a joiner is wanted in a given word is your call, so it flags rather than judges.
Good to know: to remove the characters once you have found them, the zero-width cleaner does the reverse.
Your Data Stays Private
The detector runs fully in your browser with standard web technology. Your text is not uploaded or stored, and it is not sent to any analytics service. Only your star rating is sent, to record the tool’s rating. When you close the page, your text is gone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Urdu Zero-Width Character Detector do?
It scans your text for invisible zero-width characters and reports each one with its type and position, marking the stray ones and the joiners Urdu may use.
Which characters does it find?
The zero-width space, the zero-width non-joiner, the zero-width joiner, the word joiner, the byte order mark, and the soft hyphen.
What is the difference between stray and joiners?
The zero-width joiner and non-joiner are marked as joiners, since Urdu may use them for shaping; the others are marked as stray, as they rarely belong in Urdu text.
Does it change my text?
No. It only reports what it finds; to remove the characters, the zero-width cleaner does the reverse while keeping the joiners.
Why do I need the positions?
The position tells you exactly where a stray character sits, which helps explain why a word breaks oddly or a search misses at a certain point.
Is my data safe?
Yes. Everything runs in your browser. Your text is never uploaded, saved, or shared.
Is this tool free?
Yes, it is completely free and needs no account to use.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. It works on phones, tablets, and computers.
Explore More Free Urdu Unicode and RTL Tools
Inspectors, detectors, cleaners, and normalizers built for real Urdu Unicode text.
Open the Urdu Tools hubSources and standards
- The Unicode Standard and code charts (Arabic block U+0600, Arabic Supplement, Presentation Forms). unicode.org/charts
- UAX #9, Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm (RTL, marks, isolates, overrides). unicode.org/reports/tr9
- UAX #15, Unicode Normalization Forms (NFC, NFD, NFKC, NFKD). unicode.org/reports/tr15
- MDN Web Docs, String.prototype.normalize and code point methods. developer.mozilla.org
This free tool finds zero-width characters and reports their types and positions using the browser’s own text handling. It marks the joiners Urdu may use but does not judge whether they are wanted. It reports but does not change your text. Your star rating is stored on the site.