Editorial
standards

Styles and symbols

Every style is generated from a Unicode character map. We build the map from the Unicode Character Database, version 18.0.0, by looking up characters by their official names. When several characters could fit a letter, we pick the first one with a glyph in the system fonts of Android 10 and stock Windows 10, and if none has one, the letter stays plain. Symbols are curated by us, and combos, faces, dividers and frames are composed from our own parts. We do not copy other websites' collections.

How we test rendering

An empty box appears when a device has no font with a picture for a character. We measure this. We read the font files named in the font lists of Android 8.0, 10, 12, 14 and the latest Android source, and the stock fonts of Windows 10, and look up every character. A style or symbol is Safe when every character was found, with no combining marks and no emoji. It is Mostly safe when some characters are missing on old systems, when it uses marks or when a few letters can turn into emoji. It may show boxes when a character is missing on current systems or draws as a colour emoji.

A second test drew 2,110 of these characters in Chrome on Windows 10, and its boxes matched our measurement. We did not measure iPhones and iPads, because Apple does not publish which characters its fonts cover, and we did not measure phone makers' own skins or the way each app draws text.

Bios, usernames and nicknames

Bio and username ideas were written by AI models. Code filters then remove duplicates, offensive words, brand and franchise names, handles that look like real people, bios that open with the same words as many others, and anything about alcohol, drugs, self-harm or adult topics. A person reviews the result before it is published. Ideas are a starting point and are not checked for availability.

Platform limits

We checked limits against each platform's help pages, and the pages we could read were read on 24 Oct 2026. Where a limit could not be confirmed on an official page, such as the length of an Instagram username or a WhatsApp About text, we mark it unconfirmed on the page or leave it out. Some limits, such as those for X names and bios, come from earlier research that could not be re-read that day, and they are marked. Platforms change their rules without notice.

If you find a character that shows as a box, a limit that has changed, or an idea that should not be here, write to [email protected]. We will check it and fix it.