You’re staring at a document. Maybe it’s a chemistry lab report that needs $H_{2}O$ to look like actual water instead of a bunch of random letters and numbers. Or perhaps you’re writing a legal brief and that 1st needs to be a $1^{st}$. Honestly, it’s one of those tiny things in Microsoft Word that shouldn’t be frustrating, yet here we are. Figuring out how to add superscript and subscript in Word feels like it should be a single click, but Microsoft loves hiding things in menus.
It’s annoying. I get it.
Most people just want to get the job done without digging through a 400-page manual. Whether you're a student pulling an all-nighter or a professional trying to make a footnote look crisp, there are about four different ways to do this. Some are fast. Some are "proper." A few are just weirdly specific. Let’s break down exactly how to handle these tiny characters without losing your mind.
The Fast Way: Keyboard Shortcuts are King
If you take nothing else away from this, remember the shortcuts. Seriously. They will save you hours over the course of a career.
To make something superscript (that's the one that goes up, like an exponent), highlight your text and hit Ctrl + Shift + Plus Sign (+). It’s easy to remember because "plus" means "up." If you’re on a Mac, you’re looking at Command + Shift + Plus Sign (+).
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Now, for subscript (the one that hangs out at the bottom, like in chemical formulas), the shortcut is even simpler. Just hit Ctrl + Equal Sign (=). For Mac users, it’s Command + Equal Sign (=).
Why Shortcuts Fail Sometimes
Sometimes these shortcuts don't work. Usually, it's because of your keyboard layout or because you have another program—like a screen recorder or a specialized gaming macro—overriding those specific key combinations. If you hit the keys and nothing happens, don't keep mashing them. Word isn't broken; something else is just "stealing" the command.
Using the Ribbon (The Visual Approach)
Maybe you aren't a shortcut person. That’s fine. My dad refuses to use shortcuts because he "wants to see what he's clicking."
Look at the Home tab at the top of your screen. Look inside the Font group. You’ll see a little X with a 2 above it ($X^{2}$) and an X with a 2 below it ($X_{2}$).
- Highlight the text you want to shrink.
- Click the $X^{2}$ button for superscript.
- Click the $X_{2}$ button for subscript.
It's straightforward. But here is the kicker: if you keep typing, everything you type after that will also be tiny. You have to click the button again to turn it off. It behaves like the Bold or Italic buttons. Toggle it on, type your "2," toggle it off. Easy.
The Deep Dive: The Font Dialog Box
There’s a "pro" way to do this that gives you way more control. If you’re doing something complex—like adjusting the exact vertical offset of a character—you need the Font Dialog Box.
Right-click your text and select Font. Or, if you're a shortcut junkie, hit Ctrl + D (Command + D on Mac).
Inside that window, you’ll see checkboxes for Superscript and Subscript. Why use this instead of the ribbon? Because sometimes Word's default "tiny text" isn't exactly what you want. In this menu, you can actually go to the Advanced tab. This allows you to "Raise" or "Lower" text by specific point increments.
Imagine you’re a perfectionist. You think the standard subscript sits too low and makes the line spacing look wonky. In the Advanced tab, you can set "Position" to "Lowered" and then manually change the "By" field to 1pt or 2pt. It gives you a level of surgical precision that the standard buttons just can't match.
Dealing with Math: The Equation Editor
If you're trying to figure out how to add superscript and subscript in Word because you're writing complex math, stop using the font buttons. Just stop. They aren't designed for it, and the formatting will break the moment you change your line spacing or font size.
Use the Equation Editor.
Hit Alt + = (that’s the universal "give me math" shortcut). A little box appears. Now, if you want a superscript, type a caret symbol (^) and then your number. For a subscript, use an underscore (_).
For example, type x^2 and hit the Spacebar. Word magically transforms it into a perfectly formatted $x^{2}$. Type H_2O and hit Space, and it becomes $H_{2}O$. This is based on LaTeX, which is the gold standard for scientific publishing. It looks better, it scales better, and it won't jump around when you export the file to a PDF.
The Symbol Insertion Trick
Sometimes you don't want "fake" superscript. You want the actual Unicode character.
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Wait, what’s the difference?
When you use the Superscript button, Word is basically just shrinking a normal "2" and moving it up. But some fonts have a "built-in" superscript 2 (like ²). These often look cleaner because the stroke weight of the number matches the rest of the text.
Go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols. Under the "Subset" dropdown, look for Latin-1 Supplement or Superscripts and Subscripts. You'll find specific characters like ¹, ², or ³. Using these ensures that if you copy-paste your text into a plain-text editor (like an email or a website), the formatting stays. Standard Word superscripting usually disappears when you paste it into a browser.
AutoFormat: The "Set It and Forget It" Method
Word has a feature that automatically turns "1st" into "$1^{st}$." It’s called AutoFormat As You Type.
- Go to File > Options.
- Select Proofing.
- Click AutoCorrect Options.
- Switch to the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
- Make sure the box for "Ordinals (1st) with superscript" is checked.
Now, whenever you type "2nd" or "3rd," Word does the heavy lifting for you. It’s a small quality-of-life win that prevents you from having to reach for the mouse every five minutes.
Troubleshooting: Why does my line spacing look weird?
This is a classic. You add a superscript, and suddenly the space between that line and the one above it gets huge. Word is trying to make room for the "tall" character, so it pushes the lines apart.
To fix this:
- Highlight the paragraph.
- Go to Line Spacing Options (click the little arrow in the Paragraph group on the Home tab).
- Change Line Spacing from "Multiple" or "At Least" to Exactly.
- Set the value to whatever your font size is plus a few points (e.g., if you're using 11pt font, set it to Exactly 13pt).
This "locks" the lines in place. The superscript will stay where it belongs without ruining the visual rhythm of your document.
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Actionable Next Steps
Don't just read this and forget it. If you're working on a document right now, try these three things to lock in the muscle memory:
- Master the "Turn-Off": Practice hitting Ctrl + Shift + Plus to start a superscript, type your character, and then hit it again immediately to go back to normal text. This toggle move is the hallmark of a fast writer.
- Clear Formatting: If your document gets messy because you've been clicking too many buttons, highlight the text and hit Ctrl + Spacebar. This nukes all manual formatting—including superscripts—and returns the text to its base style.
- Use the Equation Editor for Science: Next time you have to write a chemical formula, use the Alt + = method. It feels weird at first, but the professional look of the final product is worth the 10-second learning curve.
Start by auditing your current document. If you have "st" or "th" after dates that aren't formatted correctly, use the Replace function (Ctrl + H) to find them and apply the formatting across the whole file at once. Use the "Format" button inside the Find/Replace window to target specific styles. This saves you from hunting through thirty pages for one rogue "2nd."