I had no idea ChatGPT could do this with text — now I use it all the time
Most of the tricks for improving ChatGPT’s answers focus on the words themselves. You ask it to be more concise or write in rhyming couplets, or just to translate an annoyed email into more professional language.
But that’s about changing what ChatGPT writes. You can also mess around with how it looks by asking for different fonts.
You can’t install font files like you would with a word processor, but ChatGPT can rewrite text using Unicode character styles instead. The AI chatbot uses Unicode to mimic everything from elegant cursive handwriting to bubble letters, adding a lot more personality to its responses. And you can cut and paste the text into other apps.
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I started experimenting out of curiosity and quickly discovered it was much more than a novelty. With the right prompt, ChatGPT can generate decorative text for birthday messages, party invitations, holiday greetings and social media posts in seconds, all without leaving the chat.
Once I learned how to ask for specific Unicode styles instead of vaguely requesting “a different font,” I found myself using the trick far more often than I ever expected.
Tricky fonts
There is no hidden setting to switch on and no special version of ChatGPT you need to install. If you can type a prompt, you already have everything required. I simply open a new ChatGPT conversation and ask it to write something like, “TechRadar Rules!” in different Unicode font styles. Within seconds, I had several versions that looked completely different from one another.
And the more specific you are, the closer to exactly what you’re imagining you can get. Ask for bubble letters, and you’ll get:
ⓉⓔⓒⓗⓇⓐⓓⓐⓡ Ⓡⓤⓛⓔⓢ!
Ask for a spooky, gothic look, and you get:
𝔗𝔢𝔠𝔥ℜ𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔯 ℜ𝔲𝔩𝔢𝔰!
Or if you want a more digital, glitchy aesthetic, there’s the font known as Zalgo:
T̷̘̑e̸̗̅c̵̄͜h̸͉̕R̶͍̍a̸͚̚d̶̻͐a̸͓̽r̷͖̈́ R̷̡̚u̵̟̅l̶̝͂e̷͓̒ș̵͝!
There’s even a Unicode for upside-down text that ChatGPT can mimic:
┴ǝɔɥᴚɐpɐɹ ᴚnlǝs¡
The ability to change the mood of your writing is what makes the font trick more than just a momentary curiosity. A Halloween party announcement written in gothic lettering instantly creates a completely different mood from the same words in cheerful bubble text. Birthday invitations, baby shower announcements, and holiday greetings all gain a little personality without requiring any graphic design skills.
Memorable messages
There are some limits because of Unicode. They only work properly where those characters are supported. Most modern apps handle them without any trouble, but occasionally a website displays empty boxes or substitutes different symbols. Some decorative styles can also make text harder to read, particularly for accessibility tools such as screen readers.
The Unicode fonts are an entertaining way to add personality to text, but it’s perhaps best used in titles and sparingly otherwise. ChatGPT is perfectly happy to convert an entire essay into medieval-looking script, but that does not mean anyone else wants to read it.
I doubt decorative Unicode text will transform the way anyone works. It is not going to save hours every week or revolutionize productivity. It will, however, make your next social media post, birthday message, or party invitation a little more distinctive, and sometimes that is exactly the kind of delightful gimmick that keeps ChatGPT interesting.
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