# Subscript/superscript **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 11, 2002, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558 "2002-03-11T12:50:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/1 "2002-03-11T12:50:24Z")
It looks like we can’t use [sub] and [sup] any more. Testing the “size” thing. testing testing testing testing testing ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/2 "2002-03-11T13:01:38Z")
Testing sig at size = 0. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/3 "2002-03-11T13:32:56Z")
IIRR sub and sup were never standard vB in the first place but were, along with sym, added by the Tech Gods at the SD. Could be wrong. pan ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/4 "2002-03-11T16:32:48Z")
Whatever the case is I sure miss [sup] and [sub]. I’ve already pooched two posts because of this. The size command would seem to work for subscript but it’s not really a replacement for superscript. Any other suggestions if I want to write an equation such as x2=4 (i.e. x squared = 4)? ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/5 "2002-03-11T16:53:56Z")
I guess we’ll have to go back to the old standby. x^2=4 ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/6 "2002-03-11T17:18:24Z")
A non-optimal solution: ```auto 2 x = 4 ``` Approximate subscript: xi for any _i_ ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/7 "2002-03-11T17:21:17Z")
[sup]superscript[/sup] and [sub]subscript[/sub] are working now. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/8 "2002-03-11T17:24:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gaudere \* > \*\*[sup]superscript[/sup] and [sub]subscript[/sub] are working now. \*\* [sup]Hip[/sup] Hip [sub]Hooray![/sub] Seriously thanks…I missed that one. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/9 "2002-03-11T21:43:49Z")
[sup][symbol]superscript symbol[/symbol][/sup] [sub][symbol]subscript symbol[/symbol][/sub] [symbol][sup]symbol superscript[/sup][/symbol] [symbol][sub]symbol subcript[/sub][/symbol] (OK. So I’m odd.) ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2002, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/10 "2002-03-12T10:42:48Z")
Good to see those back… given the notations which some people use (quite legitimately) in answering serious questions, sub/superscript and symbols really are needed. …Though there are others, I suppose. How about Hebrew characters for the Biblical-etymology debates? Or the International Phonetic Alphabet for us linguisticky types? Huh? Can we? Huh? Huh? (Also, if at all possible, I would like the moon on a stick.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subscript-superscript/97558/11 "2002-03-12T19:13:58Z")
Hebrew, Cyrillic, IPA and the like probably wouldn’t be workable. The sym tag works by just changing the font to symbol: You could do the same thing with the new “font” tag. The thing is, almost everyone has the symbol font, but most don’t have other “foreign” fonts, so most viewers will end up seeing it in their browser’s default font. You could try doing it manually with the font tags, if you know of a good, common Hebrew font, but be aware that most people won’t be able to read it.