Unicode Line & Word Break Tool

See where Unicode allows line and word breaks in your text. Test wrapping behavior for different languages and complex scripts.

Unicode Line Break & Word Segmenter

Analyze and apply Unicode line breaking and word segmentation rules

Text Input

Max Line Length: 40 characters

Unicode Line Breaking (UAX #14)

Unicode defines complex rules for determining where line breaks can occur in text. These rules consider character properties, word boundaries, and language-specific rules.

Word Segmentation (UAX #29)

Word segmentation identifies word boundaries in text, which is essential for:

Text selection and editing
Spell checking
Search functionality
Text-to-speech systems

How the Unicode Line Break Tool Works

Enter or paste your text into the input area. The tool analyzes each character and identifies where line breaks are permitted according to Unicode Standard Annex #14.

Line break opportunities are shown with visual markers. Mandatory breaks (like newline characters) are distinguished from optional breaks. Word boundaries are also identified for text wrapping.

Test with different languages and scripts. See how CJK text breaks differently from Latin. Understand where hyphenation might occur. Essential for proper international text layout.

When You'd Actually Use This

Building international UIs

Your app supports multiple languages. Test how text wraps in each language. Ensure proper line breaks for German compounds, CJK characters, and Arabic text.

Developing text editors

Text editors need proper word wrapping. Implement Unicode line break rules. Test your implementation against this reference tool.

Creating CSS layouts

CSS word-break and line-break properties affect text wrapping. Test how different settings interact with Unicode breaks. Debug layout issues.

Typesetting multilingual documents

Documents with mixed scripts need careful line breaking. Identify where breaks are allowed. Ensure professional typography across languages.

Debugging text rendering

Text wrapping incorrectly? Check where Unicode allows breaks. Compare with your rendering. Identify bugs in text layout engines.

Learning Unicode behavior

Understand how different scripts handle line breaks. Educational tool for typography and internationalization. See Unicode rules in action.

What to Know Before Using

Line break rules vary by script.Latin breaks at spaces and hyphens. CJK can break between most characters. Thai and Lao have complex rules. Each script has specific behavior.

Some breaks are mandatory.Newline (U+000A), carriage return (U+000D), and line separator force breaks. These always create line breaks regardless of context.

Context affects breaks.Punctuation affects where breaks can occur. Some characters prohibit breaks before them. Others prohibit breaks after. Rules are contextual.

Implementation may vary.Different systems implement Unicode rules differently. Browsers, word processors, and layout engines may have variations. This shows the standard behavior.

Pro tip: For CJK text, don't break before certain punctuation (like closing quotes or periods). Unicode defines these as prohibited break positions. Respect these for proper typography.

Common Questions

What's the Unicode line break standard?

Unicode Standard Annex #14 defines line breaking behavior. Assigns each character a line break class. Rules determine where breaks are allowed.

How does CJK line breaking work?

CJK can break between most characters. Exceptions: don't break before closing punctuation, after opening punctuation. More flexible than Latin.

What about hyphenation?

Unicode defines break opportunities, not hyphenation. Hyphenation is language-specific and algorithmic. Separate from Unicode line break rules.

Do emojis affect line breaks?

Emoji sequences should stay together. Flag emoji and ZWJ sequences shouldn't break mid-sequence. Treated as single units for line breaking.

What's a word boundary vs line break?

Word boundaries mark word edges (for selection, cursor movement). Line breaks mark where text can wrap. Related but different concepts.

How do I control line breaks in CSS?

Use line-break property for CJK. Use word-break for general behavior. Use white-space for whitespace handling. CSS controls how Unicode breaks are applied.

Why does my text break unexpectedly?

Check for invisible characters. Zero-width spaces allow breaks. Soft hyphens indicate hyphenation points. These affect line breaking behavior.

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