Unicode Subscript Numbers: 0 to 9, with Code Points
Subscript numbers ₀ ₁ ₂ ₃ ₄ ₅ ₆ ₇ ₈ ₉ are the most complete part of the Unicode subscript alphabet. All ten digits exist, they are in a single block, and they render on every modern device. The only real coverage gap is at zero, which is a less-than-perfect match for the normal “0” shape. This is the full reference.
If you just want to type subscript numbers, the Subscript Generator gives them to you; the Tiny Text Generator shows subscript and superscript side by side. The full letter set is in the subscript letters reference; the chemical-formula use case is below.
The complete map
All ten subscripts live in the Subscripts and Superscripts block, U+2080–U+208E, in order.
| Digit | Char | Code | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ₀ | U+2080 | A regular “0” drawn at subscript size. Slightly thinner than the other nine. |
| 1 | ₁ | U+2081 | Standard subscript “1”. Renders identically on all clients. |
| 2 | ₂ | U+2082 | Standard subscript “2”. |
| 3 | ₃ | U+2083 | Standard subscript “3”. |
| 4 | ₄ | U+2084 | Standard subscript “4”. |
| 5 | ₅ | U+2085 | Standard subscript “5”. |
| 6 | ₆ | U+2086 | Standard subscript “6”. |
| 7 | ₇ | U+2087 | Standard subscript “7”. |
| 8 | ₈ | U+2088 | Standard subscript “8”. |
| 9 | ₉ | U+2089 | Standard subscript “9”. |
The block extends slightly beyond the digits. U+208A–U+208E are subscript plus, minus, equals, parenthesis-open and parenthesis-close — useful for x₍₁₎ and x₍ₙ₊₁₎ and other “subscript with brackets” patterns.
| Char | Code | Name |
|---|---|---|
| ₊ | U+208A | Subscript Plus Sign |
| ₋ | U+208B | Subscript Minus Sign |
| ₌ | U+208C | Subscript Equals Sign |
| ₍ | U+208D | Subscript Left Parenthesis |
| ₎ | U+208E | Subscript Right Parenthesis |
Most text input systems do not include these by default in the subscript alphabet — they are available, but a “subscript generator” typically outputs only the digits 0–9 plus the letters that exist in the subscript alphabet. If you need the operators, copy them from the table above or build the formula in a tool that supports them.
The 0 case
The one place the subscript digits are not perfectly uniform is at 0. Most fonts draw subscript zero as a “regular 0” scaled down, which makes it slightly thinner and slightly taller than the rest of the digits. The result is fine in formulas (H₂O and CO₂ both look right) but in a tight column of subscripts (x₀, x₁, x₂ …) the zero can look misaligned.
There is no Unicode-standard fix. Some fonts (especially those with mathematical OpenType features) draw ₀ with a slash or a dot inside, matching the typography of the normal zero, but this is a font choice, not a Unicode requirement.
Superscript vs subscript numbers
Both alphabets cover all ten digits cleanly.
| Digit | Subscript | Superscript |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ₀ U+2080 | ⁰ U+2070 |
| 1 | ₁ U+2081 | ¹ U+00B9 |
| 2 | ₂ U+2082 | ² U+00B2 |
| 3 | ₃ U+2083 | ³ U+00B3 |
| 4 | ₄ U+2084 | ⁴ U+2074 |
| 5 | ₅ U+2085 | ⁵ U+2075 |
| 6 | ₆ U+2086 | ⁶ U+2076 |
| 7 | ₇ U+2087 | ⁷ U+2077 |
| 8 | ₈ U+2088 | ⁸ U+2078 |
| 9 | ₉ U+2089 | ⁹ U+2079 |
The superscript digits 1, 2 and 3 are in the Superscript block (U+00B2–U+00B3) and the Latin-1 Supplement block (U+00B9), not in the main Superscripts block. The rest are in U+2070–U+2079. The split is historical — these were the most commonly used superscripts in pre-Unicode character sets, so they got their own code points early.
Subscript digits 0–9 all live in a single contiguous block (U+2080–U+2089), which makes them slightly easier to deal with programmatically.
The chemical-formula use case
The most common use for subscript numbers is chemical formulas: H₂O, CO₂, C₆H₁₂O₆, NaCl, H₂SO₄.
These are easy with Unicode subscript digits:
H₂OisH+ U+2082 +OCO₂isC+O+ U+2082C₆H₁₂O₆is six characters:C+ U+2086 +H+ U+2081 + U+2082 +O+ U+2086
In a tool that has a “subscript” toggle, type the whole formula and select only the digits — toggle them to subscript. The letters stay normal. This is the most natural use of the alphabet and renders correctly on every device.
The mathematical-sequence use case
The second-most-common use is mathematical sequences: x₀, x₁, x₂, …, xₙ, xₙ₊₁, aᵢⱼ, x⁽ⁱ⁾.
The Unicode subscript alphabet supports this directly: x₀, x₁, x₂, …, xₙ reads correctly in any Unicode-accepting context, including Markdown-rendered math. The subscript letter n exists (U+2099); the subscript i exists (U+1D62); the subscript j exists (U+2C7C). The subscript + and subscript 1 give you ₙ₊₁ for the “n+1” pattern. The subscript parentheses give you ₍ₙ₊₁₎ for “subscripted n+1 with parens”.
The 8 missing letters (b, d, f, g, q, y, z) come up rarely in mathematical subscripts; when they do, the standard convention is to fall back to italicised lowercase, which the surrounding math typesetting already uses. The coverage is enough for the common cases.
What is not in the subscript numbers set
There are no subscript Roman numerals, no subscript hex digits, no subscript currency symbols, no subscript punctuation beyond the + − = ( ) set. If you need a subscript comma, you have to fake it with a combining mark or fall back to a normal comma. If you need a subscript decimal point, same.
This is rarely a problem in practice; subscript notation is mostly digits and the operators listed above.
The honesty section
Subscript numbers render slightly smaller than subscript letters. This is a font issue, not a Unicode issue, but worth knowing. In most fonts, ₀ renders at the height of a small subscript letter; ₂ renders at the same height. If you mix them, the column is consistent. In a few fonts (especially older Windows fonts), the digits are slightly shorter than the letters and you get a visible misalignment.
Subscript text is unfindable by plain-text search. A document containing “H₂O” cannot be found by searching for “H2O”. The two are different strings. The same is true of mathematical sequences; if you search your notes for “x_1” you will not find x₁.
Screen readers struggle. Most screen readers will read “H two O” when they encounter H₂O (because they recognise the formula), but for a less-standard use they will spell out the Unicode names: “subscript two”. If the subscripts are doing semantic work, not just decoration, you need to be aware of this.
Quick recap
Subscript digits 0–9 are complete in Unicode, all in the U+2080–U+2089 block, rendering on every modern device. The operators + − = ( ) extend the block by five more characters. The main use cases are chemical formulas and mathematical sequences, both of which the current alphabet supports. The main honesty caveats are searchability and screen reader behaviour. Use the Subscript Generator to produce the live output.