The Strange Power of Empty Characters (And Why People Use Them)
Ever seen someone post a completely blank message on WhatsApp or Discord? Or noticed a streamer with a username that’s just… invisible? That’s not a glitch. It’s a deliberate move using something called empty characters—Unicode characters that don’t show up on screen but still exist. Kind of like digital stealth mode.
They’re not new, but the way people use them has gotten way more creative lately. And there are entire websites dedicated to making it dead simple to grab and use them—like emptycharacter.com and empty-character.com. These places might look like basic copy-paste tools, but they’re quietly fueling a whole bunch of internet tricks, design workarounds, and even SEO strategies.
So What Is an “Empty Character” Anyway?
Think of them as invisible letters. They’re technically part of a text string, but they don’t render anything visual. They don’t take up space like a regular letter, and they’re not just blank spaces either. It’s more like a ghost character—still there, just hidden.
One example is U+200B, the Zero Width Space. Drop that into a username field, and it looks like nothing’s there—but the system still registers it as input. Another one is U+2800, which is often used to make long blank blocks of text.
It’s not just for fun either. Developers, gamers, social media users—all sorts of people are using these things for real purposes.
Why People Actually Use These Characters
Take something simple like filling out a form. Some apps won’t let you leave a field empty, like a display name or a comment box. Instead of typing “.” or “—”, people drop in an empty character. The form thinks something’s there. Problem solved.
Designers use them too. When tweaking layout spacing, especially in strict environments like emails or mobile interfaces, an empty character can push things around just enough without messing up the look.
Gamers love them. If someone wants a clean username with no visible characters (either for aesthetic or trolling reasons), these blank characters get the job done. You’ve probably seen this on platforms like Fortnite or Minecraft.
And sometimes people just want to post something “blank” to get attention. A totally empty tweet or message stands out more than a hundred-word rant. It breaks the pattern. Makes people stop and look.
What These Websites Actually Do
Sites like emptycharacter.com and empty-character.com basically act like invisible character vending machines. You go there, press a button, and it copies an invisible character to your clipboard. That’s it. No fluff, no sign-up. Just utility.
But the difference between them is subtle.
- emptycharacter.com keeps things very clean. No distractions, just the characters and a quick explanation of how to use them. It’s optimized for people who already know what they’re looking for.
- empty-character.com goes a bit deeper with examples of different types of characters and where they’re useful. It’s better if someone’s curious about the “why” behind the tool.
Some even include variations—zero-width space, non-breaking space, invisible joiners. Depending on what you’re trying to do, one might work better than another. A zero-width space might work great in usernames, but a non-breaking space might be better for layout tweaks.
It’s Not All Smooth Sailing
Not everyone’s a fan. On Coda.io, someone flat-out complained that emptycharacter.com forces visitors to watch a video overlay before they can access the page. And yeah, that's annoying. It breaks the core idea of what a utility site should be—fast, frictionless, and focused.
There’s also the risk of misuse. Some spammers use empty characters to hide malicious links or evade content moderation. Like posting shady stuff that bypasses filters because there’s invisible text embedded between words. It’s not common, but it’s enough of an issue that platforms are starting to catch on.
SEO and the Guest Posting Game
There’s another layer here that most people don’t see. These sites aren’t just offering a tool—they’re also SEO machines.
Both of them have been offering guest post placements, which is basically selling backlinks to boost other websites in search rankings. It’s a classic SEO move: build a high-authority site, then rent it out. Platforms like Upwork even have listings advertising guest posts on domains like emptycharacter.com. It’s not shady, but it does show how even niche utility sites can be turned into money-making platforms.
Where It Gets Technical
Whitespace characters—like tabs, spaces, and newlines—have been around forever in programming. Languages like Python rely on indentation (which is just whitespace) to define logic. Miss a space? Your code breaks.
But empty characters are more precise. They don’t just “look” like nothing. They are nothing. And in places where a normal space might mess things up, these blank Unicode points keep everything clean.
They’re even used in backend systems for things like placeholder text, database tricks, and string comparisons. It’s like hiding a key in plain sight.
Final Word
Empty characters might seem like a tiny thing—just Unicode weirdness—but they’ve become way more useful than most people realize. Whether it’s customizing a profile, adjusting a web layout, or gaming the system in clever ways, these invisible characters are doing real work.
And the websites that serve them? Quiet little power tools. Not flashy, but effective. Just like the characters themselves.
Want a blank message that actually works everywhere? Now you know where to get it.