How to Strike Out Text: A Comprehensive Guide for WordPress

Striking out text, also known as using a strikethrough, is a handy formatting technique that visually indicates deleted or superseded content without completely removing it. It’s useful for showing edits, marking tasks as complete, or creating a sense of playful emphasis. In this guide, we’ll explore the various ways you can strike out text within your WordPress content.

Why Use Strikethrough Text?

• Show Edits: When revising content, you can use strikethrough to highlight what was removed or changed.
• Task Management: Indicate completed tasks on lists or to-do’s with a visual strike.
• Humor or Sarcasm: Subtly express a playful tone by striking out a word or phrase.
• Clarity: Clearly demonstrate what’s been superseded or is no longer relevant.

Methods for Striking Out Text in WordPress

There are several ways to add strikethrough to your WordPress content, catering to both visual and code-based preferences.

1. Using the Visual Editor’s Toolbar

The visual editor in WordPress provides a user-friendly toolbar to format your text. While a dedicated strikethrough button may not be immediately visible, here’s how to access it:

1. Select the Text: First, highlight the text you wish to strike out using your mouse or keyboard.
2. Expand the Toolbar (if needed): If you don’t see all the options, look for a three-dot icon (often labeled “Toolbar Toggle”) and click on it to expand the toolbar.
3. Find and Click the Strikethrough Icon: The strikethrough icon looks like a capital letter “S” with a horizontal line through it, sometimes it’s located in the expanded portion of the toolbar. Click on this icon.
4. Result: The selected text should now appear with a strikethrough effect.

Note: The exact appearance of the toolbar and the strikethrough icon may vary slightly depending on your WordPress version and theme.

2. Using the HTML Editor

For more control over your content, you can use the HTML editor to add strikethrough via HTML tags. Here’s how:

1. Switch to the Text/HTML Editor: On your WordPress editor, switch from the visual tab to the “Text” tab to access the HTML editor.
2. Use the <s> or <del> Tags: Use either the <s> or <del> HTML tags to wrap the text you want to strike through.
   • <s>This text is struck through.</s>
   • <del>This text is also struck through.</del>
3. Result: The text enclosed within these tags will now be displayed with a strikethrough.

Note: Both <s> and <del> tags achieve the same strikethrough visual effect, but <del> has additional semantic meaning, indicating text that has been deleted from a document. Using <del> is semantically more accurate when the text is indeed considered a deletion.

3. Using a Keyboard Shortcut (if available)

Some browsers and WordPress plugins may offer keyboard shortcuts for formatting text, including strikethrough. However, this functionality varies. Check your specific setup or browser’s documentation to see if a relevant keyboard shortcut is available in your WordPress editor.

4. Using a Plugin

While not typically required, you can use a WordPress plugin to add a dedicated strikethrough button to your visual editor if desired. Search the WordPress plugin repository for “strikethrough” or “text formatting” to find plugins that suit your needs. Be sure to choose a plugin with good reviews and recent updates.

Conclusion

Striking out text is a simple yet powerful formatting tool that adds visual emphasis and clarity to your WordPress content. Whether you prefer the simplicity of the visual editor or the control of the HTML editor, the methods described above enable you to effectively implement strikethrough on your posts and pages. Experiment with these techniques to improve communication and enhance your website’s content!