Add subscripts and superscripts to your Word documents

Let’s begin with Microsoft Word 2003. Launch the program and then, on a blank document, type in something that needs a superscript – we are going to use Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2. It clearly doesn’t look right with the 2 on the reading line, so highlight the ‘2’ with the mouse pointer and then open the Format menu and choose Font. When the dialogue box opens, put a tick in the Superscript box in the Effects section and then click OK. The ordinary 2 will become a superscripted 2. We are showing before and after versions in the screenshot so you can see the difference.

Subscripts can be created in much the same way. Here we have typed in the chemical notation for water, H20, highlighted the ‘2’ and re-opened the Font dialogue box, this time putting a tick in the Subscript box. There are also a couple of useful shortcut key combinations for creating subscripts and superscripts. Highlight the character then hold down Ctrl and = (the equals key) to create a subscript and Ctrl and Shift and = to create a superscript.

If using Word 2007/10, there is no need to dig around in dialogue boxes. Instead, make sure the Home tab on the ribbon is selected and then type the two examples (E = mc2 and H20) onto the page. Highlight the relevant characters in each one and click the Superscript and Subscript buttons on the button bar – they are just to the right of the standard bold, italic and underline buttons.

All recent versions of Word include a feature called AutoFormat As You Type. This applies common superscripts and symbols automatically, such as adding the ‘st’ in 1st or including a fraction alongside a whole number – for example 1½. The beauty of AutoFormat As You Type is that you type the characters as you normally would and Word handles the formatting automatically so you get neat, professional-looking results.

If Word isn’t automatically formatting these superscripts then fix it like this. In Word 2003, open the Tools menu and choose AutoCorrect Options. At the dialogue box, click the AutoFormat As You Type tab and put ticks next to ‘Ordinals with superscript’ and ‘Fractions with fraction character’. Click OK. To open the same dialogue box in Word 2007/10, click the Office (or menu) button and choose Word Options. When the panel appears, click the Proofing heading in the column on the left and then click the AutoCorrect Options button in the main window.

Finally, a tip for Word 2007/10 users. If creating and then underlining a subscript such as H20, the line will ‘dip’ under the subscripted character, so it won’t appear straight. Instead, click the Insert tab, then click the Shapes button and choose the Line tool. Position the pointer under the first character and then – holding down the Shift key – use the mouse to draw a line under the word which contains the subscript. If the line needs to be thicker, click the Shape Outline button, choose Weight and select a thicker line.