There are times when certain words in your document require smaller letters at the top (superscript) or at the bottom (subscript) if lines of text.
This is especially common for math text, chemical formulas, or simple things like dates.
In Google Docs, there are three ways you can implement superscript and subscript in Google Docs. One is to use the menu system, the other is to use keyboard shortcuts, and the last is to use a chart of special characters.
Also, be sure to check out ours short video on YouTube where we look at everything in this article.
How to do Superscript in Google Docs
You can create superscript text in Google Docs using the menu system.
- To do this, highlight the text that you want to convert to superscript.
- Option Format from the menu.
- Option Letter and then select Index above.
- Once selected, you will see the highlighted text converted to superscript format.
You can do this for a single character, or you can select the entire line and convert it to superscript. However, most of the time, this format is only used for one character.
A much quicker way to do this is to select the text and then use the Google Docs keyboard shortcut for superscript.
This shortcut is Ctrl+. and the character will immediately update to the above stat. You can also undo the superscript formatting by selecting the same Subscript menu option again.
You see superscript text highlighted will convert back to normal text format again.
Finally, you can add superscript text to your document using the special characters chart.
- To do this, select Insert from the menu and select Special characters from the menu.
- In the special characters window, enter “superscript” in the search field.
- You will see a list of common characters used as the above character. When you select any option, it will insert the superscript character into the document.
Examples of typical text that require a superscript include:
- Math exponent
- To reference a source in the footer of a page
- Copyright or trademark abbreviation
- Common stats like 1st
How to Register in Google Docs
Creating a superscript format in Google Docs is akin to creating a superscript format. You can create subscript text in Google Docs using the menu system.
- To do this, highlight the text that you want to convert to subscript.
- Option Format from the menu.
- Option Letter and then select Subscript.
- Once selected, you will see the highlighted text converted to subscript format.
Just like with superscript, you can convert the format for a single character or an entire line of text. In most cases you will only use it for single characters. But the whole line formatting is useful for things like adding subscript comments under a paragraph or at the bottom of a page.
Of course, an easier way to do this is to select the text and then use the Google Docs keyboard shortcut for the subscript.
This shortcut is Ctrl +, and the character will immediately update to the secondary stats. You can also undo the index formatting by selecting the same Metric menu option again.
Highlighted subscript text will convert back to normal text format again.
Just like with superscript, you can add subscript text to your document using a chart of special characters.
- Option Insert from the menu and select Special characters from the menu.
- In the special characters window, enter “subscript” in the search field.
- This will display a list of subscript characters. When you select any selection, it will insert the index character into the document where you have placed the cursor.
Examples of typical text that require subscripts include:
- Chemical Molecular Formula
- Greek characters used in physics
- Mathematical variables in formulas
Using superscript and subscript in Google Docs
The ability to add superscript and subscript formatting in Google Docs allows you to write down formulas and other special text that would normally not be possible in a simpler text application like Notepad.
