Zero-width space
zero-width space (U+200B), commonly abbreviated “ZWSP”, intended for invisible word separation and for line break control; it has no width, but its presence between two characters does not prevent increased letter spacing in justification
The zero-width space (rendered: ; HTML entity: ​ or ​), abbreviated ZWSP, is a non-printing character used in computerized typesetting to indicate where the word boundaries are, without actually displaying a visible space in the rendered text. This enables text-processing systems for scripts that do not use explicit spacing to recognize where word boundaries are for the purpose of handling line breaks appropriately.
The zero-width space is Unicode character U+200B, and is located in the Unicode General Punctuation block. In HTML, it can be represented by the character entity reference ​.
Purpose
The zero-width space marks a potential line break without hyphenation. Its semantics and HTML implementation are similar to the soft hyphen, but soft hyphens display a hyphen character at the point where the line is broken.
The zero-width space can be used to mark word breaks in languages without visible space between words, such as Thai, Myanmar, Khmer, and Japanese.
In justified text, the rendering engine may add inter-character spacing, also known as letter spacing, between letters separated by a zero-width space, unlike around fixed-width spaces.
Example
To show the effect of the zero-width space in text, the following words have been separated with zero-width spaces:
By contrast, the following words have not been separated:
The first text is broken into lines but only at word boundaries, and resizing the browser window will re-break the text accordingly, while the second text is not broken at all.
Usage
HTML
In HTML pages, the HTML element <wbr> functions as a zero-width space.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Zero-width space” as zero-width space (U+200B), commonly abbreviated “ZWSP”, intended for invisible word separation and for line break control; it has no width, but its presence between two characters does not prevent increased letter spacing in justification. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as zero-width space (U+200B), commonly abbreviated “ZWSP”, intended for invisible word separation and for line break control; it has no width, but its presence between two characters does not prevent increased letter spacing in justification. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2604861. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Zero-width space”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Zero-width space primary sources, Zero-width space archive and Zero-width research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Zero-width space”?
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This entry incorporates text from “Zero-width space” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.