What is a zero-width space?
A zero-width space is the Unicode character U+200B. It takes no visible width but can indicate a break opportunity. You can copy one from a webpage or document without noticing it. In an identifier, email-like string or CMS field, an unexpected U+200B may interfere with matching or formatting.
AIWatermark.dev strips U+200B without replacing it with a visible space. It also cleans selected related artifacts. If the character separates words in your text, manually add an ordinary space where needed. This is especially relevant for languages that use zero-width spaces as word boundaries.
hello⟦U+200B⟧worldAfter local cleanuphelloworldRemove zero-width spaces in three steps
- Paste the affected string. Use Inspect characters to confirm that U+200B is present.
- Press Clean my text. The report counts removed characters separately from normalized spaces.
- Copy the output and check the destination field. For prose, review any joined words.
U+200B is different from U+200C (zero-width non-joiner) and U+200D (zero-width joiner). AIWatermark.dev preserves those two because they can be essential to scripts and emoji. A zero-width-space cleanup also does not remove a statistical AI text watermark.
Common questions
Does this remove U+200B automatically?+
Yes. The local cleanup removes every U+200B in the input and reports the count. You can inspect the original first to see its positions.
Why is my emoji still joined after cleaning?+
Emoji sequences often use U+200D rather than U+200B. AIWatermark.dev preserves zero-width joiners so the emoji is not broken into separate characters.
Will removing a zero-width space create a normal space?+
No. U+200B is deleted. Add a visible space manually if your wording needs one.
Source: Unicode: line breaking and zero-width spaces. Reviewed October 11, 2026.